Location: Saks Fifth Avenue
Union Square
384 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel: (415)986-4300
Website: www.saksfifthavenue.com

From Sandy Hillock to Shopping District

With luxury shopping, fine dining and vibrant nightlife, it is hard to imagine that Union Square was a sandy hillock prior to the gold rush. Even until 1849, a considerable stream coursed down a deep ravine on its west flank where the cable cars now clang.

History records that the area was deded to the public on January 3, 1850 during the administration of John White Geary, San Francisco's firt mayor.

Yet, this a well-manicured, 2.6 acre plot planted with palms, Irish yews, boxwood and bright flowers had been a crowded campsite in 1906 when the city was hit by a devastating earthquake.

The buoyant figure of Victory atop the 97-foot Corinthian column commemorates Commodore George Dewey’s victory over the Spanish fleet at Manila in 1898, which stands until today withstood the 1906 earthquake. It was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

And like the phoenix rising from its own ashes, Union Square was reborn to become what it is today - a shopping district.

It became the hub of shopping in San Francisco, with a lot of both foot and vehicular traffic, that by 1930s, it became the site of the world's first underground parking structure.

Today, Sutter, Post, and Geary streets are filled with fine art galleries, some focusing on selling works by big names like Picasso and Chagall, and others devoted to exhibiting works by contemporary artists.

San Francisco's only Frank Lloyd Wright building, built in 1949 and currently housing the Xanadu Gallery, is located at 140 Maiden Lane, and features the same circular interior as the famed Guggenheim Museum in New York.

The sidewalks around Union Square are lined with flower stands adding a touch of color to the streets. Many of the shop windows also display their share of eye candy, which can be quite minimalist at the high-end boutiques, while cable cars running up and down Powell Street add a local touch.

This is also San Francisco's main theater district, where traveling Broadway and off-Broadway shows come to town, usually for limited runs. Some of the theaters present local productions, as well.

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