San Francisco Neighborhoods · Downtown / Union Square
Downtown / Union Square
Sun zoneSan Francisco's grand front parlor of department stores, theater marquees, and cable-car bells, where the whole city converges around one historic plaza.
- The city's retail and luxury-shopping core
- Heart of the Theater District
- Transit hub for the entire Bay Area
- Walk-everywhere hotel and dining density
On the map
Open Downtown / Union Square on the map →The story
Union Square takes its name from the pro-Union rallies held here on the eve of the Civil War. At its center stands the Dewey Monument, a 97-foot column topped by the bronze figure 'Victory,' dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 14, 1903, to commemorate Admiral George Dewey's win at Manila Bay. The neighborhood rebuilt rapidly after the 1906 earthquake and fire, anchored by the Westin St. Francis hotel, which had opened on Powell Street in 1904. For more than a century it has remained the city's central district of flagship stores, grand hotels, and theaters.
Things most people don’t know
The Victory statue
The Dewey Monument's bronze 'Victory' was modeled by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels and sculpted by Robert Ingersoll Aitken, dedicated in 1903.
The Westin St. Francis
Opened in 1904, the St. Francis is the only hotel directly on Union Square and survived the 1906 disaster.
Powell cable-car turnaround
At Powell and Market, the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cars are spun by hand on the city's most-photographed turntable.
The Theater District
The Curran, Orpheum, and American Conservatory Theater anchor the live-stage blocks just west of the square.
Rebuilt after 1906
Much of the district was leveled by the 1906 earthquake and fire, then rebuilt within a few years as the city's retail core.
Eating and drinking
Restaurants
- John's Grill · 63 Ellis St
- Kin Khao · 55 Cyril Magnin St
- Bourbon Steak · 335 Powell St
- Sears Fine Food · 439 Powell St
- Cafe de la Presse · 352 Grant Ave
Bars
- Pacific Cocktail Haven · 550 Sutter St
- Local Edition · 691 Market St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. Powell St Station serves BART and Muni Metro (J, K, L, M, N lines); the underground Union Square/Market St Station serves Muni Metro as well. Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable cars turn around at Powell and Market, alongside the F-Market streetcar and many bus lines.
Nearest hospital. UCSF Health Hyde Hospital (formerly Saint Francis Memorial), 900 Hyde St (about 0.7 mi)
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