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46-553: The Tiffany Building is an eleven-story, 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m) building at Union Square in San Francisco .; the bottom two floors contain a Tiffany & Co. store, while the upper floors contain offices. It is also known as 350 Post Street and the Qantas Building . The Tiffany store has 17,000 square feet (1,600 m) of space. Cathay Pacific maintains its North America regional headquarters on

92-463: A pedestrian zone permanently. In 2016 (shortly before her death), influential Chinatown community organizer Rose Pak vehemently opposed this project arguing that Stockton Street was a "vital link" for Chinatown, and threatened to organize a blockade of City Hall by thousands of vehicles if the idea came to pass. Stockton reopened to road traffic on February 22, 2019. Near the Northern tip of

138-532: A discounted rate on the day of the performance. At the end of Powell Street two blocks south, where the cable cars turn around beside Hallidie Plaza at Market Street , is a growing retail corridor that is connected to the SOMA district. Nob Hill , with its grand mansions, apartment buildings, and hotels, stands northwest of Union Square. Directly northeast is Chinatown , with its famous dragon gate at Grant Avenue and Bush Street. The city's historic French Quarter

184-588: A harassing manner toward homeless people at times, to deter them from being there. In 2016, the vacancy rate around Union Square was only 3%. Since then, high levels of crime and homelessness have become more prominent features of Union Square and neighboring neighborhoods. During 2020, the vacancy rate in the area rose to 9.4% after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic . In May 2023, The San Francisco Standard counted 203 retailers operating in or near Union Square as of 2019. This count omitted tenants of

230-627: A hero of the Spanish–American War for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. The monument was dedicated in 1903. Beginning in 2009, painted heart sculptures from the Hearts in San Francisco public art installation have been installed in each of the square's four corners. The Tiffany Building is an 11-story, 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m ) building at Union Square;

276-493: A large underground parking garage was built under the square; this meant the plaza's lawns, shrubs and the Dewey monument were now on the garage "roof." Designed by Timothy Pflueger , it was the world's first underground parking garage. For many decades, Union Square was the largest retail shopping district outside of New York and Chicago, the place that everyone in San Francisco and the larger San Francisco Bay Area visited "on

322-562: A major shopping district in the city. It then runs underground for about two and a half blocks in Stockton Street Tunnel (lending its name to a separate, parallel street above the tunnel), passes through Chinatown and North Beach (Little Italy), and ends at Beach Street near the Pier 39 shopping center and tourist attraction. In Chinatown (particularly in the three blocks between Washington Street and Broadway ), Stockton

368-477: A relevant commercial center, and closed storefronts in the areas in and around Union Square. Despite this, Union Square in San Francisco is still a major retail hub for the city. Union Square was originally a large sand dune , and the square was later set aside to be made into a public park in 1850. Union Square got its name from the pro-Union rallies held there on the eve of the Civil War. The monument itself

414-661: A reproduction of the Atlas clock to place above the entrance. The store, previously at a location on Grant Street, more than doubled in size from 8,000 square feet (740 m) to 17,000 square feet (1,600 m). At the time it was the company's second largest store, after the New York City flagship store. Qantas Investments US Inc sold the building in early 1996. The Cathay Pacific North America headquarters moved from El Segundo in Greater Los Angeles to

460-508: A semi-regular basis, whether they were looking for a night on the town or a place to buy the basics". During the middle part of the 20th century, "going downtown" for a full day of lavish shopping and eating was a special treat for Bay Area residents—to the point that families often dressed up for the occasion. Over time, both locals and tourists began to drift off to other neighborhoods slowly, leaving Union Square to "conventioneers and casual tourists". The area became somewhat derelict during

506-602: A shopping mall built in 1988 on nearby Market Street. Nordstrom was formerly an anchor at Emporium Centre and also operated a Nordstrom Rack store a block away, but closed both stores in 2023. A mix of upscale boutiques and popular retailers occupy many buildings surrounding Union Square. Among the luxury retailers that front Union Square are Louis Vuitton , Gucci , Bulgari , Loro Piana , Moncler , and jeweler Tiffany & Co. ; while flagship Victoria's Secret , Williams Sonoma , Nike , and Apple stores also occupy buildings surrounding Union Square. Other notable brands in

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552-468: A small upscale flagship store for Banana Republic reopened in October 2023. On February 27, 2024, it was reported that Macy's would be closing their West Coast flagship store at Union Square as part of a plan to close 150 stores nationwide by the end of 2026. Macy's stated that the store would remain open until the property was sold to a new owner. More than 400 employees were expected to be impacted during

598-603: Is Maiden Lane , a short and narrow alley of exclusive boutiques and cafes that leads to the Financial District and boasts the Xanadu Gallery, San Francisco's only building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright —with its interior most notable for being the predecessor for New York City's Guggenheim Museum . The square is part of the Barbary Coast Trail , linking many San Francisco landmarks. During

644-547: Is also a tribute to the sailors of the United States Navy. Union Square was built and dedicated by San Francisco's first American mayor John Geary in 1850 and is so named for the pro-Union rallies by Thomas Starr King that happened there before and during the United States Civil War . Since then the plaza has undergone many notable changes, one of the most significant happening in 1903 with

690-430: Is celebrated for its historic Magneta Grandfather Clock. It is believed to be the only hotel in the world that offers its guests, as a courtesy, a coin washing service. The process originated in 1938 at a time when high-society ladies wore white gloves that were easily tarnished during the exchange of money. It uses borax soap in an antiquated, manually-operated burnisher. Union Square has also come to describe not just

736-711: Is dominated by mixed-use buildings that are three to four stories high, with shops on the ground floor and residential apartments upstairs. It is also home to organizations that played important political roles in the history of the Chinese immigrant community, in particular the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (Six Companies), the Chinese American Citizens Alliance , and the US headquarters of

782-469: Is northeast of Union Square and centers on the Belden Place alleyway between Bush and Pine Streets and Claude Lane off Bush Street. This area has many open-air French Restaurants and Cafes. Every year, the area is the site of the boisterous Bastille Day celebration, the nation's largest of its kind, and Bush Street is temporarily renamed "Buisson." Directly east of the square off of Stockton Street

828-691: Is the neighborhood's main shopping and business street, where locals buy the freshest and cheapest produce and meats. The stores also offer live seafood (mainly on the west side of the street ) and dried herbs. Some shops located on Stockton Street include the Hop Hing Ginseng Company, the Kowloon Market, the Luen Sing Fish Market, Louie's Produce, and Fruit City. In the annual Stockton Street market, vendors have been permitted since 2012 to set up outdoor stands during

874-689: The Central Subway is anticipated to bring major changes to the street's character. In the Union Square area, Stockton Street is home to numerous upscale stores, including the Macy's Union Square and Neiman Marcus department stores. The block next to Macy's has been closed to road traffic since 2012 due to the Central Subway construction work, with the success of a temporary "Winter Walk" plaza lending support for calls to convert it into

920-602: The Kuomintang . After immigration laws were eased in the mid-1960s, many stores moved to Stockton Street from nearby Grant Avenue, drawn by lower rents and the better transportation enabled by the 30 Stockton Muni trolleybus line (which replaced the earlier F Stockton streetcar line ). The San Francisco Chronicle has called the section of Stockton Street between Sacramento and Broadway "San Francisco’s most interesting street ... fascinating [but] not beautiful. It’s crowded, untidy, dirty, usually noisy." The completion of

966-605: The Northern California market due to the cultural and economic ties that the Bay Area has with Hong Kong and Northern California's Chinese American community. Cathay Pacific cited the San Francisco to Hong Kong nonstop flight as a factor. The grand opening of the Cathay Pacific USA headquarters was held on February 15, 2005. It included a ribbon cutting ceremony, a roast pig cutting ceremony, and

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1012-494: The Westfield San Francisco Centre ; it counted only true retailers and omitted service-oriented establishments like restaurants. Four years later, only 107 (53%) of those retailers were still in business, while 96 (47%) had closed. As of March 2024, large portions of Union Square and the surrounding area were "in sorry shape" with block after block of vacant storefronts. The February 27, 2024 news of

1058-437: The holiday season , an ice skating rink and Christmas tree are set up. Over the years, Union Square became a popular shopping destination. Several department stores sit within the three-block radius of Union Square, including Neiman Marcus , Macy's , and Saks Fifth Avenue . Barneys New York formerly operated a Union Square store which closed in 2019. Bloomingdale's anchors the nearby Emporium Centre San Francisco ,

1104-550: The lion dance . The dance and pig cutting are Chinese customs meant to facilitate good luck. Gavin Newsom , the Mayor of San Francisco , proclaimed that day to be "Cathay Pacific Airways Day in San Francisco." Union Square, San Francisco Union Square is a 2.6-acre (1.1-hectare) public plaza bordered by Geary , Powell , Post, and Stockton Streets in downtown San Francisco , California . "Union Square" also refers to

1150-508: The super-rich , but that was not enough to "attract San Franciscans or Bay Area residents who want to feel like they’re part of a real scene, be it cutting-edge or timelessly urbane." In August 2024, Placer.ai released aggregate cell phone data showing that Union Square was the only area of San Francisco where foot traffic was still declining after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Placer.ai, "estimated foot traffic fell nearly 9% during

1196-735: The San Francisco Planning Commission. It was designed to be a background building between two Classical buildings. A guide to the local architecture said that it "looms blandly over the stripped[sic] palazzo that is Saks ." Kenneth Halpern said that in relation to the Fitzhugh Building, the Qantas Building matched the color and height and roughly matched the proportions. At one time the Consulate-General of Australia in San Francisco

1242-622: The Tiffany Building in 2005. The headquarters had only been in Los Angeles for 15 years as they were in San Francisco from the 1970s. Cathay had moved to Greater Los Angeles in 1990. Before the Cathay Pacific USA headquarters opened in the Tiffany Building, the airline identified over twenty employees including eleven new staff from the San Francisco Bay Area . Cathay Pacific said "wanted to focus its attention on

1288-608: The United States, making Union Square a major tourist destination and a well-known gathering place in downtown San Francisco. The Dewey Monument is situated at the center of Union Square. It is a statue of Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory . The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States led to an exodus of companies from Downtown San Francisco, particularly affecting the Union Square retail district. Many retailers have cited high levels of crime, open-air drug use, homelessness , doubts about San Francisco's viability as

1334-408: The area was seeing increased traffic from international tourists while Bay Area locals and U.S. domestic tourists stayed away. On the afternoon of August 31, 2024, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery at Geary and Grant Streets just east of Union Square. Pearsall was admitted to San Francisco General Hospital , treated, and released

1380-473: The bottom two floors contain a Tiffany & Co. store, while the upper floors contain offices. Cathay Pacific maintains its North America regional headquarters on the third floor of the Tiffany Building, The Cathay Pacific North America headquarters moved from Greater Los Angeles and opened in the Tiffany Building in 2005. The only hotel located on Union Square is the Westin St. Francis hotel which

1426-617: The central shopping, hotel, and theater district surrounding the plaza for several blocks. The area got its name because it was once used for Thomas Starr King rallies and support for the Union Army during the American Civil War , earning its designation as a California Historical Landmark . This one-block plaza and surrounding area was historically home to one of the largest collections of department stores, upscale boutiques, gift shops, art galleries, and beauty salons in

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1472-632: The closure. Video game company Nintendo announced that it will open its second US retail store in Union Square in 2025. Two cable car lines (Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason) serve Union Square on Powell Street. In addition, Union Square is served by many trolleybus and bus lines and the F Market heritage streetcar. The Muni Metro and BART subway systems both serve the area at nearby Powell Street Station on Market Street . In 2012, Muni began building an extension of its Muni Metro system to connect Union Square and Chinatown with Caltrain and other neighborhoods in San Francisco. After several delays,

1518-561: The dedication of a 97 ft (30 m) tall monument to Admiral George Dewey 's victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War . It also commemorates U.S. President William McKinley , who had been recently assassinated. Executed by Robert Aitken, the statue at the top of the monument, "Victory," was modeled after a voluptuous Danish-American stenographer and artist's model, Alma de Bretteville , who eventually married one of San Francisco's richest citizens. Another significant change happened between 1939 and 1941 when

1564-473: The extension, known as the Central Subway , opened in January 2023; a new station serving Union Square named Union Square/Market Street station now serves the square directly, which itself is linked to Powell Street station via an underground walkway. Stockton Street (San Francisco) Stockton Street is a north-south street in San Francisco . It begins at Market Street passing Union Square ,

1610-527: The first half of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023" and also showed a decline of almost 6% compared with the same period in 2022. However, it was later pointed out that Placer.ai was drawing its data only from U.S. domestic cell phone users and was not capturing foot traffic of international cell phone users (i.e., international tourists). MRI Software data based on analysis of closed-circuit television feeds showed "a massive increase" in foot traffic from 2022 to 2024 around Union Square, implying that

1656-425: The following afternoon. The story received both national and international news coverage. Locals were unfazed by the news, with one of them explaining to a reporter: "It happens all the time". On October 18, 2024, over 2,000 unionized employees at four San Francisco luxury hotels—including three near Union Square—went on strike for better wages and benefits. On October 30, 2024, dozens of strikers sat down in

1702-406: The late 1970s and through the 1980s and 1990s as homeless people began to camp in the plaza. San Francisco's rowdy New Year's parties used to happen yearly at the plaza, often followed by some sort of civil disruption and rioting happening afterward. In early 1998, city planners began plans to renovate the plaza to create more paved surfaces for easier maintenance, with outdoor cafes and more levels to

1748-501: The middle of Powell Street around 5 p.m. and were arrested. This was the latest in a series of hotel strikes in Union Square in the 21st century, following earlier strikes in 2005, 2010, and 2018. At the center of Union Square stands the Dewey Monument , an 85-foot (26 m) column on which stands a 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of Nike, the ancient Greek Goddess of Victory . The monument is dedicated to Admiral George Dewey ,

1794-433: The planned closure of Macy's Union Square merely highlighted how Union Square had gradually "ceased to be an essential part of the city’s daily life". In response to the news, Avison Young reported that if the closure occurs as planned, Union Square's vacancy rate would jump from 22% to 34.5%. To the east of Union Square, a cluster of "ultra-luxe international boutiques" around Grant Street had stayed afloat by catering to

1840-491: The plaza itself but the general shopping, dining, and theater districts within the surrounding blocks. The Geary and Curran theaters one block west on Geary anchor the " theater district " and border the Tenderloin . Union Square is also home to San Francisco's TIX Bay Area , a half-priced ticket booth, and Ticketmaster outlet. Run by Theatre Bay Area , tickets for most of San Francisco's performing arts can be purchased at

1886-552: The square can be seen from surrounding high places such as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel , Macy's top floor, and the Grand Hyatt hotel. The Union Square Business Improvement District was founded in 1999 and focused primarily on cleaning and safety issues. The BID also deals with marketing, advocacy, streetscapes, and capital improvement programs. The Union Square BID has been criticized by some as acting in

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1932-481: The surrounding area include Chanel , Prada , Burberry , Salvatore Ferragamo , Shapur Mozaffarian, Goyard , Dior and Cartier . Gap Inc. , which is headquartered less than a mile away on the Embarcadero , used to operate multiple flagship and full-line stores for The Gap , Banana Republic , and Old Navy in and around Union Square. However, all those stores closed in the early 2020s, and eventually, only

1978-499: The third floor of the Tiffany Building, in Suite 300. The Kenmark Real Estate Group , which manages the building, has its headquarters on the building's top floor. The Consulate General of Tonga is in Suite 604 of the building. In 1972 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill completed the construction of the building which had been destined for Qantas . The building followed a 140-foot (43 m) height limit established for Union Square by

2024-476: The two weeks before Chinese New Year . SPUR has described Stockton Street in Chinatown as "an example of true urbanization, replete with a strong transit network, multigenerational families living in tightly knit spaces, hundreds of mom-and-pop stores and a bustling streetlife" and a success of "grassroots organizing to protect Chinatown’s affordability, culture and urban form". In this area, Stockton Street

2070-445: The underground garage. Finally in late 2000, the park was partially closed to renovate the park and the parking garage. On July 25, 2002, the park reopened and a ceremony was held with then Mayor Willie Brown . In 2004 Unwire Now, a company founded by entrepreneur Jaz Banga, launched a free Wi-Fi network in Union Square which was championed by Mayor Gavin Newsom . Union Square hosts many public concerts and events. Public views of

2116-503: Was located in the building. The San Francisco Tiffany & Co. was scheduled to move into its current location in the building in October 1991. Werner & Sullivan built the store. John Loring, a senior vice president and design director for Tiffany & Co. and a committee of the company designed the store. The company planned to include an Art Deco -style granite arch with a stainless steel door framed inside and other features common to Tiffany & Co. stores. The store acquired

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