Embarcadero, San Francisco

The Embarcadero is the name given the eastern waterfront of San Francisco, California, along San Francisco Bay. It was originally a seawall, and may have been a Spanish fort. It is also the name of the street that runs along the path of the old seawall.

History

San Francisco's shoreline ran along present-day Montgomerey Street is today. As the city grew, however, a large seawall was built and landfill poured, creating what today is San Francisco's Financial District.

The Embarcadero Freeway was built in the 1960s and improved access to the Bay Bridge, but detracted aesthetically from the city. It disconnected the Ferry Building from Downtown. For 30 years, it divided the waterfront and Downtown. It was torn down in 1991, after suffering damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

After the freeway had been cleared, a grand palm-lined boulevard was created, and the Muni N and F lines were extended to run along it; the N goes to 4th and King Streets (at SBC Park and the Caltrain terminal) and the F now goes to Fisherman's Wharf. The Market Street Railway is also planning a new ‘E’ line to run up the Embarcadero, past the wharves, and to Aquatic Park.

The San Francisco Belt Railroad, a short line railroad for freight, once ran along the Embarcadero.

Rail Station

The Embarcadero Station, a BART and Muni Metro subway station, is located at the foot of Market Street, by the Embarcadero. While not in the original station plans, the area had become quite busy at the time of the BART construction. The station was built quite quickly which explains its simple 'box' shape.

Embarcadero Center

The Embarcadero Center consists of four buildings and the Villiancourt Fountain. Until 2001, there was a viewing deck on top of Embarcadero 1. At Christmas time at night, lights covering the corners of all four buildings are lit up.