The Ferry Building, completed in 1898 to replace a wooden building that stood here since 1875, is a Beaux-Arts landmark and one of San Francisco's most iconic waterfront structures.
The 245 foot tower, said to be modeled after the 12th-century Giralda bell tower in Sevilla, Spain, is not merely lovely, but also quite sturdy. It survived both the 1906 earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
At the top you can see the largest wind-up mechanical clock in the world with dials 22 feet in diameter. Electric motors are now used to move hour and minute hands.
As of 2025 it is still the largest steel-framed foundation for a building over water in world.
In the 1930s, until Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge opened, this was the world's second-busiest transit hub, after the Charing Cross station in London, moving as many as 50,000 people per day.
Go up the stairs, and tell the guard you're here to see the mosaic floor depicting the Great Seal of the State of California, then come down and have one of the best snacks in town.