Ghirardelli Square
A Gold Rush chocolate factory that San Franciscans saved from demolition
The story
Before you is Ghirardelli Square, a former chocolate factory. Domenico Ghirardelli was born in 1817 in Rapallo, Italy. He ran a confectionery in Lima, Peru. In 1849 news came of gold in California, and he sailed here. In 1852 he founded a chocolate company in San Francisco. It is the third-oldest chocolate company in the United States. In 1893 the company bought this whole block, together with an old woolen mill, and set up its works here. A huge sign with the company name went up above the roofs. You can see it from far away. In the early 1960s the company was sold, the new owner decided to leave, and apartments were to be built on this spot. Then, in 1962, two San Franciscans, William Roth and his mother Lurline, bought the land. The old brick buildings were not torn down. They became a square with shops, restaurants and terraces. The square opened in 1964. It was the first major example in the United States of an old factory getting a new life instead of being demolished. In 1982 the square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Chocolate is still sold here today.
Visiting
900 North Point Street; the north side of the square faces Beach Street and Aquatic Park. The square is open for strolling; shop and café hours vary. The Powell–Hyde cable car turnaround is nearby, at Hyde and Beach Streets.
Photos
Sources
- Ghirardelli Square — History
- Wikipedia (EN) — Ghirardelli Square
- Wikipedia (EN) — Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
- SFMTA — Cable Cars
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