Ghirardelli Square
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| Ghirardelli Square | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | San Francisco, CA |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Architect: | Mooser,William S., Sr.; Mooser,William S. |
| Architectural style(s): | No Style Listed |
| Added to NRHP: | April 29, 1982 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 82002249 [1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
Ghirardelli Square is a tourist attraction with shops and restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco, California.
In 1893, Domingo Ghirardelli purchased the entire city block in order to make it into the headquarters of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. In the early 1960s, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was bought by the Golden Grain Macaroni Company which moved the headquarters off-site and put the square up for sale.
San Franciscan William Roth and his mother bought the land in 1962 to prevent the square from being replaced with an apartment building. The Roths hired landscape architect Lawrence Halprin to convert the square and its historic brick structures to an integrated restaurant and retail complex, the first major adaptive re-use project in the United States. It opened in 1964. In order to preserve Ghirardelli Square for future generations, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Ghirardelli Square once featured over 40 specialty shops and restaurants, in addition to the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop, known for its world famous ice cream sundaes.
Today, Ghirardelli Square is undergoing an extensive renovation. Upscale housing will soon be installed at the square. The dozens of specialty shops have been gutted, and only a handful of shops and/or restaurants remain. Plans are underway for a new selection of shops and restaurants to replace the ones that closed.[1][2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
[edit] External links
- Ghirardelli Square - Official site and source of info
- Street map from Mapquest
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