San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia

here, servicing the ferry commuters. These were eventually replaced by a loop for several
streetcar lines.
However, after the completion of the Bay Bridge and the rapid decline of Ferries and the
Ferry Building, the neighborhood fell into decline. The transition to container shipping,
which moved most shipping to Oakland, led to further decline. Automobile transit efforts
led to the Embarcadero Freeway being built in the 1960s. This improved automobile
access to the Bay Bridge, but detracted aesthetically from the city. For 30 years, the
highway divided the waterfront and the Ferry Building from downtown. It was torn down
in 1991, after being severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
After the freeway had been cleared, massive redevelopment begun as grand palm-lined
boulevard was created, squares and plazas were created and/or restored, and the Muni N
and F lines were extended to run along it; the N goes to 4th and King Streets (at AT&T
Park and the Caltrain terminal) and the F now goes to Fisherman's Wharf. The Market
Street Railway is also planning a new ‘E’ line to run up the Embarcadero, past the
wharves, to Aquatic Park. A unique sculpture resembling cupid's bow and arrow with the
arrow implanted in the ground was built there in 2003, symbolizing where Tony Bennett
"left his heart".
Rail Station
The Embarcadero Station, a BART and Muni Metro subway station, is located at the foot
of Market Street, by The Embarcadero. While not in the original station plans, the area
had become quite busy at the time of the BART construction. The late addition is the
reason for the station's distinctive design.
Embarcadero Center
Villancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Center
The Embarcadero Center consists of four buildings and the Villancourt Fountain. Until
2001, there was a viewing deck on top of the Embarcadero. At Christmas time at night,
lights covering the corners of all four buildings are lit up.