Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company - San Francisco, CA
Posted by: 
ucdvicky
N 37° 48.359 W 122° 25.355
10S E 550829 N 4184445
A San Francisco landmark and a major tourist destination.
Waymark Code: WM33RZ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 02/04/2008
Views: 28
"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 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." Wikipedia
Street address:
900 N. Point St.
San Francisco , CA USA
County / Borough / Parish: San Francisco
Year listed: 1982
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1950-1974
Historic function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Industry/Processing/Extraction
Current function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.