In his latest book, two-time Pulitzer finalist and record contributor John King explores the history of American urbanism through the rise, fall, and rebirth of San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Conceived during the Gilded Age, this showcase of civic ambition was completed in 1898. Following is an excerpt from the first chapter.
There was no pressing need for a grandiose ferry terminal in the San Francisco of 1890, particularly one topped by a sky-piercing clock tower, and nobody back then claimed otherwise. Some people on arriving ferries were here to see the exotic metropolis that in 45 years had grown from a ramshackle hamlet of a few hundred residents into the nation’s eighth-largest city, but the vast majority of the riders spilling out toward Market Street were commuters en route to work from bayside cities to the east and north. They disembarked from stout vessels with wooden hulls and paddle wheels, belching smoke from dark chimney stacks. Passengers then strode briskly to cable-pulled street cars designed to ascend hills too steep for horse-drawn vehicles.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.