San Francisco Ferry Building, Ferry terminal and marketplace at Embarcadero, United States
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a ferry terminal and food marketplace on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, United States, topped by a Beaux-Arts clock tower. The ground-level hall contains vendor stalls selling regional specialties, while the outer piers handle ferry connections across the bay.
The structure opened in 1898 as the main transit hub for San Francisco and handled millions of commuters annually before the Bay Bridge was built. After decades of decline, the terminal was renovated in the 1990s and converted into a food marketplace.
The name Ferry Building refers directly to its original role as the city's main ferry landing, though visitors today come primarily for the regional food offerings. Locals regularly gather at the Farmers Market in front of the structure to buy fresh produce straight from Bay Area growers.
The terminal sits right on the waterfront promenade and is easily walkable from downtown, also reachable by public transit. The indoor marketplace is free to enter, while ferry trips require separate tickets.
The clock mechanism inside the tower comes from the workshop of E. Howard and has been running since 1898 with its original components. The clock face remains visible from the water at night and once served ferries as a navigation reference point when approaching.
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