Union Square, San Francisco

Coordinates: 37°47′17″N 122°24′27″W / 37.78806°N 122.40750°W / 37.78806; -122.40750

Union Square
Neighborhood of San Francisco

(2007)
Union Square

Location within Central San Francisco

Coordinates: 37°47′17″N 122°24′27″W / 37.788056°N 122.4075°W / 37.788056; -122.4075
Country United States
State California
City San Francisco
Reference no. 623[1]

Union Square is a 2.6-acre (1.1 ha) public plaza bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. "Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks. The area got its name because it was once used for Thomas Starr King rallies and support for the Union Army during the American Civil War,[2] earning its designation as a California Historical Landmark.[1] Today, this one-block plaza and surrounding area is one of the largest collections of department stores, upscale boutiques, gift shops, art galleries, and beauty salons in the United States, making Union Square a major tourist destination, a vital, cosmopolitan gathering place in downtown San Francisco, and one of the world's premier shopping districts. Grand hotels and small inns, as well as repertory, off-Broadway, and single-act theaters also contribute to the area's dynamic, 24-hour character.

At the center of Union Square stands the Dewey Monument, an 85-foot (26 m) column on which stand a 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of Nike, the ancient Greek Goddess of Victory. The monument is dedicated to Admiral George Dewey, a hero of the Spanish-American War for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. The monument was dedicated in 1903.

Union Square in 1905
The Square in 1968, as seen from the St. Francis Hotel

History

Union Square was originally a tall sand dune, and the square was later set aside to be made into a public park in 1850. Union Square got its name from the pro-Union rallies held there on the eve of the Civil War. The monument itself is also a tribute to the sailors of the United States Navy.[3]

Union Square was built and dedicated by San Francisco's first American mayor John Geary in 1850 and is so named for the pro-Union rallies by Thomas Starr King that happened there before and during the United States Civil War.[4] Since then the plaza has undergone many notable changes, one of the most significant happening in 1903 with the dedication of a 97 ft (30 m) tall monument to Admiral George Dewey's victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War. It also commemorates U.S. President William McKinley, who had been recently assassinated. Executed by Robert Aitken, the statue at the top of the monument, "Victory", was modeled after a voluptuous Danish-American stenographer and artist's model, Alma de Bretteville, who eventually married one of San Francisco's richest citizens.[5] Another significant change happened between 1939 and 1941 when a large underground parking garage was built under the square; this meant the plaza's lawns, shrubs and the Dewey monument were now on the garage "roof." It was the world's first underground parking garage and was designed by Timothy Pflueger.[6]

During the late 1970s, and through the 1980s and 1990s, the area became somewhat derelict as the homeless began to camp in the space. San Francisco's rowdy New Year's parties used to happen yearly at the plaza with some sort of civil disruption and rioting happening afterward. In early 1998 city planners began plans to renovate the plaza to create more paved surfaces for easier maintenance, with outdoor cafes, and more levels to the underground garage.[7] Finally in late 2000, the park was partially closed down to renovate the park and the parking garage.[8] On July 25, 2002, the park reopened and ceremony was held with then Mayor Willie Brown. "Use it; it is your square", said Mayor Willie Brown.[9] In 2004 Unwire Now, a company founded by entrepreneur Jaz Banga, launched a free Wi-Fi network in Union Square which was championed by Mayor Gavin Newsom.[10] The network remains in place today.

Union Square in 2017
The northwest entrance to the square (2017)

Today, Union Square retains its role as the ceremonial "heart" of San Francisco, serving as the site of many public concerts and events, art shows, impromptu protests, private parties and events, winter ice rink and the annual Christmas tree and Menorah lighting. Public views of the square can be seen from surrounding high places as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Macy's top floor, and the Grand Hyatt hotel.

With such a diverse and renowned collection of businesses, the neighborhood needed a central organization to help supplement city services and create custom programs to meet the needs of the community. The original Union Square Business Improvement District was founded in 1999 and focused primarily on cleaning and safety issues. Today's expanded district continues to recognize these needs, while adding marketing, advocacy, streetscapes and capital improvement programs to its portfolio. With a recent 10-year renewal, the BID is committed to making Union Square the best place in the world to live, work, visit and play.[11]

Public art

Beginning in 2009, painted heart sculptures from the Hearts in San Francisco public art installation have been installed in each of the four corners of the square. Each year, the sculptures are auctioned off to benefit the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation and new sculptures painted by various artists are installed in their place. Many of the sculptures are permanently relocated to various other locations throughout the city.

Economy

The Tiffany Building is an 11 story,[12] 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) building at Union Square.;[13] the bottom two floors contain a Tiffany & Co. store, while the upper floors contain offices.[14] Cathay Pacific maintains its North America regional headquarters on the third floor of the Tiffany Building,[15][16] The Cathay Pacific North America headquarters moved from Greater Los Angeles and opened in the Tiffany Building in 2005.[15]

The only hotel actually located on Union Square is the Westin St. Francis hotel which is celebrated for its historic Magneta Grandfather Clock.[17] It is believed to be the only hotel in the world that offers its guests, as a courtesy, a coin washing service. The process originated in 1938 at a time when high-society ladies wore white gloves that were easily tarnished during the exchange of money. It uses borax soap in an antiquated, manually-operated burnisher.[18]

The statue of "Victory" atop the Dewey Monument

Nearby attractions

Union Square has also come to describe not just the plaza itself, but the general shopping, dining, and theater districts within the surrounding blocks. The Geary and Curran theaters one block west on Geary anchor the "theater district" and border the Tenderloin. Union Square is also home to San Francisco's TIX Bay Area, a half-priced ticket booth and Ticketmaster outlet. Run by Theatre Bay Area, tickets for most of San Francisco's performing arts can be purchased the day of the performance at a discounted rate.

At the end of Powell Street two blocks south, where the cable cars turn around beside Hallidie Plaza at Market Street, is a growing retail corridor that is connected to the SOMA district. Nob Hill, with its grand mansions, apartment buildings and hotels, stands to the northwest of Union Square. Directly northeast is Chinatown, with its famous dragon gate at Grant Avenue and Bush Street.

The city's historic French Quarter northeast of Union Square and centers on the Belden Place alleyway, between Bush and Pine Streets, and Claude Lane off Bush Street. This area has many open-air French Restaurants and Cafes. Every year the area is the site of the boisterous Bastille Day celebration, the nation's largest, and Bush Street is temporarily renamed "Buisson."

Directly east of the Square off of Stockton Street is Maiden Lane, a short and narrow alley of exclusive boutiques and cafes that leads to the Financial District and boasts the Xanadu Gallery, San Francisco's only building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright—with its interior most notable for being the predecessor for New York City's Guggenheim Museum. The square is part of the Barbary Coast Trail, linking many San Francisco landmarks.

Xanadu Gallery, the only building in San Francisco designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
The Macy's flagship store at Union Square during Christmastime (2005)

Shopping

Over the years, Union Square became a popular shopping destination.[19] Six department stores sit within the three block radius of Union Square, including Neiman Marcus and separate men's & women's branches of Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Barneys New York. Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom anchor the nearby Westfield San Francisco Centre, a shopping mall built in 1988 on nearby Market Street.

A mix of upscale boutiques and popular retailers occupy many of the buildings surrounding Union Square. Among the luxury retailers that front Union Square are Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Bulgari, Loro Piana, Goyard, Dior Homme, and jeweler Tiffany & Co.; while flagship Victoria's Secret, Williams-Sonoma, Nike, AT&T and Apple stores also occupy buildings surrounding Union Square. Other notable brands in the surrounding area include Chanel, Prada, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Cartier.

Gap Inc., which is headquartered less than a mile away on the Embarcadero, operates multiple flagship and full-line stores for The Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy in and around Union Square.

Transportation

Two cable car lines (Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason) serve Union Square on Powell Street.

In addition, Union Square is served by many trolley and bus lines and the F Market heritage streetcar. The Muni Metro and BART subway systems both serve the area at nearby Powell Street Station on Market Street. Muni now plans to build an extension of its Muni Metro system to connect Union Square and Chinatown. The extension, known as the Central Subway, is currently scheduled for completion by 2019.

Scenes of the square and the surrounding neighborhood were featured in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Vertigo (1958) and the opening scene of his The Birds was filmed at the edge of the square—the character Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) looks up and sees hundreds of birds flying in a circular pattern around the column at the center of the square.

Francis Ford Coppola shot scenes of The Conversation (1974) in Union Square, where the bugged conversation which forms the foundation of the movie takes place. Philip Kaufman's 1978 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers also features scenes of the square.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Union Square". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
  2. ↑ San Francisco Neighborhood Guide, San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Peter Booth Wiley, National Trust Guide—San Francisco: America's Guide for Architecture and History Travelers (John Wiley, 2000), pages 377–379)
  6. ↑ http://www.visitunionsquaresf.com/about_union_square/then_and_now/ – History of Union Square
  7. ↑ Baylife 98. Future, San Francisco Chronicle.
  8. ↑ Remodel To Close Union Square, San Francisco Chronicle.
  9. ↑ A square is born, San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. ↑ , PR Web, Oct. 4th, 2004.
  11. ↑ http://www.visitunionsquaresf.com/the_bid/ Union Square Business Improvement District
  12. ↑ Kim, Lilian (October 14, 2009). "10 SF firefighters suffer smoke inhalation". KGO-TV. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Tiffany Building, Union Square". Kenmark Real Estate Group. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  14. ↑ Staff writers (October 13, 2009). "Two alarm blaze contained at Tiffany building at Union Square". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved December 14, 2011..
  15. 1 2 Armstrong, David (February 16, 2005). 1 "Cathay Pacific opens headquarters in S.F. / North American office relocated from Los Angeles" Check |url= value (help). The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Cathay Pacific Airways Comes Home to San Francisco" (Press release). Cathay Pacific. February 16, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  17. ↑ The Landmark Choice on Union Square San Francisco Hotels at westinstfrancis.com
  18. ↑ "The job: Coin washer" at ft.com
  19. ↑ http://www.visitunionsquaresf.com/visit_here/shopping/ - Shopping in Union Square


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