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San Francisco: Fisherman's Wharf

5K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Cal_Escapee 
#1 ·
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood at the north tip of San Francisco. The district generally includes everything north of Bay Street and east of Van Ness Avenue. Fisherman's Wharf was named after the wharf where the city's fishing fleet was moved in 1900 and is still based.

The Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood was established by Genoese and Sicilian fishermen when seawalls were built in the area in 1900 to provide a protective harbor. After the seawalls were constructed, fish markets were founded along the wharf to sell the loads caught by the fishermen who used the wharf as their base. Some fish markets evolved into full restaurants, serving the catch of the day. These restaurants, which began appearing in the 1930s, attracted residents. This continued for several decades.

The commercial fishing industry in San Francisco eventually moved aside for the larger entertainment industry. Fisherman's Wharf became a tourist attraction in the 1960s and 1970s as the waterfront was recognized as a cultural resource, and old warehouses and piers saw increasingly less industry. Today, while the fishing industry still continues, it now provides seafood mainly to tourists. Most land in Fisherman's Wharf is also devoted to the tourism industry.


Pier 39 is one of the neighborhood's biggest attractions, and features many stores, shops, restaurants, and an aquarium. Pier 39 was built in 1914 and featured a Neoclassical bulkhead building dating from 1932 that was similar to those found at neighboring piers. Pier 39 was redeveloped in 1978 into its current state.



One of the tourist attractions of the neighborhood are the sea lions that have taken residence on small docks next to Pier 39 since 1989.



Forbes Island, a restaurant on a barge located near Pier 41.



Pier 45, along the Embarcadero at Taylor Street. The pier was built in 1929 and was built on fill instead of being built upon piles.



Pier 45, with the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien docked alongside. The Jeremiah O'Brien was built for World War II and saw action at Normandy and the South Pacific. The ship is the only unaltered liberty ship in existence.



The U.S.S. Pampanito, SS-383, is also docked at Pier 45. The Pampanito is a submarine built in 1943 that patrolled the South Pacific. The submarine sank five enemy ships during World War II.



The U.S.S. Pampanito, with the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien behind it, at Pier 45. Alcatraz is in the distance on the right.



Buildings on Jefferson Street.



Restaurants on Jefferson Street.



The Argonaut Hotel, on Jefferson Street at Hyde Street. The hotel is housed in the old Haslett Warehouse, built in 1909 for the California Fruit Canners Association, which later became the Del Monte brand.



The Cannery, on Jefferson Street at Leavenworth Street. The cannery was built in 1909 and was part of the Del Monte Fruit and Vegetable Cannery that also included what is now the Argonaut Hotel. It was redeveloped in 1968 into a market complex.



Buildings at Hyde & Jefferson Streets. The Argonaut Hotel, which houses the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park Visitor's Center on the ground floor, is on the right.



A fresnel lens in the old Haslett Warehouse at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. The lens is from the Farallon Island Lighthouse on the Farallon Islands, about 30 miles west of San Francisco.



Ships moored at the Hyde Street Pier, as part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. The schooner is the Balclutha, which was built near Glasgow, Scotland, in 1886. The Balcutha sailed around Cape Horn a total of 17 times, and brought coal to San Francisco from Britain, and then brought grain back from California. The paddlewheel tugboat is the Eppleton Hall, which was built in 1914 and worked the River Clyde in Great Britain. The C.A. Thayer, on the right, is stripped down to its hull. The C.A. Thayer was built in 1895 and is one of the last of a fleet of ships that carried lumber to San Francisco from Washington, Oregon, and California's Redwood Coast.



The Tubbs Cordage Company Office Building, on the Hyde Street Pier. The office was built in 1890 and was originally on Front Street. Tubbs Cordage Company was the first place on the Pacific Coast to manufacture rope.



Golden Gate Bridge fron the Hyde Street Pier. The bridge was built from 1933 to 1937 and replaced the Hyde Street Pier as the crossing of San Francisco Bay to Marin County.



The Golden Gate Bridge, from Aquatic Park.



A beacon at the end of Municipal Pier. Municipal Pier was built in the early 1930s.



Swimming clubs on Jefferson Street at Aquatic Park. The South End Rowing Club is on the left, and has been around since 1873. The Dolphin Swim & Boat Club, on the right, was established in 1877.



Looking up Hyde Street from Jefferson Street. The Powell & Hyde Streets cablecar is coming down the hill on the left.



Looking up Hyde Street. The section of Hyde Street from Bay Street to Chestnut Street has a 21% slope, and is the steepest grade in the cable car system. The yellow house dating from 1914 on the left side of Hyde Street is believed to be owned by Nicholas Cage.



Looking at buildings along Jefferson Street from the Hyde Street Pier in the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, with the Russian Hill neighborhood in the background.



Ghirardelli Square, located along Beach Street between Larkin Street and Polk Street. The clock tower from 1916 was modeled after the Louis XII wing of the Chateau deBlois in France, which was built in the first decade of the 1500s. Domingo Ghirardelli moved his chocolate factory here from the Jackson Square area in 1897 and built several buildings around an old mill from 1897 to 1915.



Ghirardelli Square was redeveloped in 1964 as a marketplace. A new building, with a parking garage deep inside, behind the facade, was built along Beach Street.



Ghirardelli Square from Polk Street. On the right is the original building at what is now Ghirardelli Square, the old Pioneer Woolen Mill. The mill was built in 1864.

 
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#3 ·
The commercial fishing industry in San Francisco eventually moved aside for the larger entertainment industry. Fisherman's Wharf became a tourist attraction in the 1960s and 1970s as the waterfront was recognized as a cultural resource, and old warehouses and piers saw increasingly less industry. Today, while the fishing industry still continues, it now provides seafood mainly to tourists. Most land in Fisherman's Wharf is also devoted to the tourism industry.
It's hard to realize it just looking at the area, but San Francisco still supports the 3rd most important fishing industry on the CA coast:


Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703512404576208573297960528.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1

Anyway, nice shots.

By the way, in case anybody is confused, those sea lions at Pier 39 are there entirely by their own choice. They aren't penned in in any way and sometimes they just disappear for no apparent reason. Originally, that area was slips for pleasure boats and the sea lions just hauled themselves up and took over. The marina management wasn't too happy about it until they realized what a tourist attraction it was.
 
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