Portal: San Francisco's Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities

by John King

A two-time Pulitzer finalist explores the story of American urban design through San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building. Conceived in the Gilded Age, the Ferry Building opened in 1898 as San Francisco’s portal to the world―the terminus of the transcontinental railway and a showcase of civic ambition. In silent films and World’s Fair postcards, nothing said “San Francisco” more than its soaring clocktower. But as acclaimed architectural critic John King recounts in Portal , the rise of the automobile and double-deck freeways severed the city from its beloved structure and its waterfront―a connection that required generations to restore. King’s narrative spans the rise and fall and rebirth of the Ferry Building. Rich with feats of engineering and civic imagination, his story introduces colorful figures who fought to preserve the Ferry Building’s character (and the city’s soul)―from architect Arthur Page Brown and legendary columnist Herb Caen to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Senator Dianne Feinstein. In King’s hands, the saga of the Ferry Building is a microcosm of a larger evolution along the waterfronts of cities everywhere. Portal traces the damage inflicted on historic neighborhoods and working dockyards by cars, highways, and top-down planning and “urban renewal.” But when an earthquake destroyed the Embarcadero Freeway, city residents seized the chance to reclaim their connection to the bay. Transporting readers across 125 years of history, this tour de force explores the tensions impacting urban infrastructure and public spaces, among them tourism, deindustrialization, development, and globalization. Portal culminates with a rich portrait of San Francisco’s vibrant esplanade today, visited by millions, even as sea level rise and earthquakes threaten a landmark that remains as vital as ever. A book for city lovers and visitors, architecture fans and pedestrians, Portal is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of San Francisco and the future of American cities. 50 black-and-white illustrations

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Urban Planning, Cities, Audiobook, American History, Architecture

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2023

About the author

John King is the San Francisco Chronicle’s urban design critic. He joined the paper in 1992 and has been in his current post since 2001. His writing on architecture and urban design has been honored by groups including the California Preservation Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the California chapters of the American Institute of Architects and the American Planning Association. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2002 and 2003.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Rick B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute treasure to read. Not just locally among San Franciscans and Californians, but to architecture and history aficionados worldwide. It is so nice to see this remarkable and oh-so handsome building get its due. Bravo Ferry Building and mucho kudos to the book's author, John King.

[Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferry: 5*. Captivating history of SF, fun to read, brilliant. Got a lot out of this, and would recommend. Daily impact because this book changes my view on a building I see every day. A few cool comparisons with New Orleans, the embarcadero is truly special, and King captures what makes SF so unique and beautiful. Learning about Chinatown history was a highlight for sure, as well as the history of the overpass. Really good.

Ferry Bookmarks
DATE PERCENT NOTE
July 31, 2024 02:22 95.5% SF: 815K residents, 7.6M live in region. Wow. 815K feels smaller than I thought. But I knew there weren’t 1M ppl here. Feels like less?
July 28, 2024 18:29 87.6% MS in community and econ dev: UCLA. This would be so sick. Rly consider more school. Big 3 months ahead for making long term plans. Allocate some time to figuring out what I want long term.
July 17, 2024 15:25 82.7% Embarcadero and ferry building marks the enthralling fusion of nature and city. Well put
July 17, 2024 15:22 81.9% Go to reds Java hut. Dates to WW1. Bourdain loved it. Authentic.
July 17, 2024 15:05 78.4% Brilliant to sell $45 hoodies in ferry building: tourists love souvenirs and get cold in the summer. Locals go on Saturdays (I can’t be fucked to go to FiDi on a wkind)
July 17, 2024 14:59 76.6% We want individually to drive change, but it’s more useful to listen to what ppl love. “Don’t be so academic and intellectual.” Keep what works, if ppl love smtn for one reason, don’t try to get them to love it for another reason. Let It Be.
July 16, 2024 15:10 67.4% 1989 quake vs Katrina vs 9/11: disasters reaffirm a city’s purpose and spirit. Idk if some other dying cities could survive these disasters.
July 16, 2024 15:06 66.3% CTown + Rose Pak loved the freeway bc ppl from other neighborhoods could get to CTown easier. Prob a fair point, less locals than tourists in CTown. Ppl would def go to CTown more w the freeway: much faster to drive around SF
July 16, 2024 14:51 61.9% Crazy ppl like Cain thought SF “had lost its way” in 1985. Ppl have been ragging on SF for 40 years. No good rationale for hating.
July 15, 2024 14:57 60.8% Amazing Feinstein tore down the highway. Returned glory and sun to the ferry building. “I’m going to Tear down that highway, even if I become grey-haired in the process.”
July 15, 2024 14:43 57.4% BART born in 1956 to reduce traffic, the ferry also returned in 1970 for this. BART construction born in 64, operating in 72/73. 70s were epic for SF.
July 15, 2024 14:38 56.1% Jackson square brick short buildings date back to 1852. Wow.
July 15, 2024 14:31 54.1% Love this. Cool author’s perspective. Seeing what ppl didn’t want on their waterfront: why the ferry building is so special. Rejecting alternatives = promoting the main option.
June 17, 2024 14:44 33.3% GGB approved in ‘33, ready in ‘37. Incredible. $35M in bonds for it. Car mania. Sounds like tech/AI mania. Lots of doubters. Ppl were anti-bridge. Ppl didn’t want to alter the landscape.
June 17, 2024 14:39 31.7% 2 years as courts reporter in SF at bulletin then back to school for classical literature. Then teaching, then at 26 PhD in muni govt. then running bureau of street traffic research. I have sm time for pivots. Stop stressing and remember the modern mid life crisis is not making better choices to choose living life when younger. Obstacles arise in your 30s. Stop this risk-averse trajectory: keep myself at risk. Not full Gideon bogue, but do some shit that makes me excited to rock up to work. Lean and nimble.
June 17, 2024 14:27 29.5% 1933: GGB opens. 4200 feet, longest in world. 750 ft towers at each end to keep it in place. Incredible.
June 17, 2024 14:22 28.7% Mud flats filled in w loose soil and then topped off with new housing built on the land: Marina district. This was in 1910s. Then the welcome to the port of SF letters went up. So cool.
June 13, 2024 15:22 27.7% 1915 world exposition/panama exposition/fair: SF beat out NOLA for the fair, crazy to parallel the cities. We both thrived in early 1900s. Cool parallel comparison. Massive divergence. SF has sm to offer (Yosemite, bay). Open minded where NOLA has always been closed. SF as a link between USA and Asia
June 13, 2024 15:19 26.6% “The city that knows how” -Pres Taft on SF in 1911. I Fw this.
June 13, 2024 15:17 26.1% Piers north of market designed based on Chelsea piers
June 13, 2024 15:14 25.7% Wow. SF wanted to relocate CTown to southern border. Residents argued the economic benefits of keeping it (tourism gem = CTown). So SF kept it. Fascinating
June 13, 2024 15:13 25.2% “The Chinese must go”: workers men party, California KKK. Confined Chinese to ten blocks of CTown. Sacramento and Grant. Hatred and anger at whites v much indoctrinated over time. Lots of lingering attitudes from 1870s actually in SF
June 13, 2024 14:56 20.0% Cornerstone at south end of arched grand entrance: architect name is there. Check it out.
June 12, 2024 15:08 12.1% Eclectic without being crass. Good architecture style to live by. Arthur Page Brown = pretty impressive guy. Trained well at a smart firm under smart people. Hmmm
June 12, 2024 15:02 11.0% Man I love BPL and Penn Station. This firm rly is polished refinement. Architecture is incredible but I’d be terrible
June 11, 2024 15:21 9.9% “The east coast laughs at SF’s approaches and asks if there’s enterprise out here.” -SF, late 1800s. The more things change, the more they stay the same. SF as the anti-East Coast
June 11, 2024 15:14 8.5% 6 block stretch of clay at California hill - one block from me. The one over from the Washington one I alw see. So cool. I live near the first cable car. Clay and jones!! One block up!! Ik this one.
June 11, 2024 15:10 7.6% SF has always been on the frontier. Since 1848 gold rush. Culture of 60s/70s was byproduct of the spirit and appreciation of beauty and life. I fw the bay heavy. NOLA is great to visit for a week or two a few times a year. NYC too. But this is where I wanna be long term. FUCK YES. Here or S Am/Eur maybe, prob not Eur. Boring. S Am. But SF wins. And so close to Asia!
June 11, 2024 14:57 4.1% Named SF in 1847. Before that “Yerba buena”

[Trey Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five starts because I could not put it down. This is a book not only about the Ferry Building, but San Francisco’s urban design history. Absolutely fascinating!

The author is quite the NIMBY which is sad, but expected. Snarky opinions about the growth of SF are not necessary and the only reason I would’ve given this book four stars.

I learned so much about San Francisco and the importance of historic landmarks. I was also fortunate to read most of this book while staring at the Ferry Building and hearing its infamous clock tower on the hour and half hour.

So many favorite tidbits and quotes, but I really love the idea of President Taft calling San Francisco “the City that knows how”. Enjoy this read. It was a fun one.

[Peter Amerkhanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining history of the ferry building and waterfront San Francisco from the 1890s to 2023. I think the post-pandemic moment is the perfect time to read this— I needed a reminder of all of the past crises and redemptions the city has experienced, and the ferry building makes for a great main character to take one through them all. I really liked getting a formal re-telling of the post-Loma Prieta period, and the efforts to bring down the embarcadero freeway. The destruction of that freeway and the resulting restoration of the waterfront is up there as one of the great policy achievements in Bay Area history, and the waterfront it opened up was a part of so many fond memories from my childhood— loved reading the story of how that all came to be.

[Michael Heffron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating book on a landmark that helped introduce San Francisco to the world scene. The author takes great care to discuss the social and environmental factors that influenced the development and trajectory of both the Ferry building and the San Francisco waterfront. I did think that the book would dive deeper into other American cities as well based on the title and the sleeve blurb, but really interesting overall.

[Gwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and interesting read about the history of a very cool city told through the story of its most iconic building. The story of the Ferry Building parallels other cities' iconic buildings that have managed to find new purposes throughout their lifespans, but it is also a unique story because of its location and the people inspired by it. The Ferry Building is literally the first place I head when I get into San Francisco, so it was wonderful to find an entire, well-written book about it.

[Robert Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book to get a clear and relatively unadorned explanation of how urban landmarks like the Ferry Building fare over time and the causes and pathways that affect them. The history of the Ferry Building itself is wonderfully clear here, with some very informative pictures over the full history of the building. I loved the sections on the ridiculous freeways and how they came to be and not be (I was downtown in 1989, and my wife drove home under the damn Embarcadero freeway after the quake. Lucky, very lucky it didn't collapse on her.)

Everyone in San Francisco has Ferry Building stories, whether it's my 100-year-old father who loved heading for the City on weekends from his home in Oakland or my own fascination with the dynamics of the food market and stores. I grew up loving Ghirardelli Square (rates a mention or two in the book) and I spent a lot of time at Faneuil Hall Marketplace during graduate school. There is so much potential in the Ferry Building, as yet not quite delivered. But it's ready for the coming boom, including a major effort to accommodate rising sea levels.

[Gregory Brokaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Sometimes deep slices are best if you want learn about a place. Though focused on one building, this book does an excellent job of bringing San Francisco history overall, into sharper and nuanced focus.

[vincent tellez · Rating 5 out of 5]

an incredible insight into the history of the ferry building, san francisco, and american urban design as a whole. as a longtime visitor and lover of san francisco, the ferry building has always been an iconic place that i hold near and dear. from sitting on my dads shoulders at 4 years old walking down the embarcadero to cheering for usc at their last football game in the bay area, this building has its place in my heart.

from an urban planning perspective, this book provides a really interesting perspective on the ebb and flow of american cities and how our cities change foundationally throughout time. from earthquakes to cultural revolutions, these events have monumental impacts on our cities and continue to shape our communities. what stood out to me was the emphasis on the various roles the ferry building has served throughout its lifespan and factors that brought about those changes. king ties up this notion neatly at the end, proclaiming that “there is no single ferry building.” its metamorphosis is exactly what has made it an icon and kept it in the public consciousness.

another key topic is the idea of change. it’s very easy during these tumultuous times to look back on “the good old days” to a time where everything seemed copacetic. even if these were years before our times, we are told that things are worse than they used to be and continue to worsen. change has always been something that makes people uncomfortable. however, it is our relationship with this uncomfortableness that creates true progress. from its genesis, the ferry building was questioned and criticized down to its very design. years later, its status as a port for the long forgotten ferries would threaten its existence with calls for change following soon thereafter. the many changes the ferry building has gone through is indicative of the changes our society has gone through. it reminds us that some change is positive, such as the demolition of the embarcadero freeway. conversely, other changes are not looked upon so kindly such as the current state of faneuil hall in boston. this is an inevitable consequence of change, both the good and bad. from this, there is much to learn and gather about our perception of change and gain a sense of “too much or not enough” so to speak.

in a time where san francisco has been denigrated and lambasted as a city in decline, we are constantly reminded that it is no longer what it once was, and never will be again. king’s central message reflects this narrative, albeit with a much more positive outlook. this city is no stranger to devastation, outrage, and depression. similarly, it is no stranger to revolution, reinvention, and transformation. this dichotomy is exactly what makes san francisco special and promulgates its status as a bastion of culture, commerce, and innovation. this unique characterization is what made the city great and will keep the city great, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

i love san francisco deeply, as it has always represented the ingenuity of californians and our unrelenting mission to dream of a better world. i look forward to my next visit, where my first stop will no doubt be the ferry building. :)

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved the Ferry Building since I first came to San Francisco in 1977, though at that time it was decrepit and seemed to have outlived its usefulness. And the horrible Embarcadero Freeway squatted in front of it, though I confess that I was among those who considered the eyesore freeway essential until it was removed and proven unnecessary. Then in 2000 I developed a new relationship with the Ferry Building. I lived in Marin County and worked a few blooks south of Market, so I had an easy and magical daily commute over San Francisco Bay by ferry. By that time the Embarcadero Freeway was gone, but the Ferry Building had not yet been renovated and the gates where we got on and off the boats were reached by going behind the building. I moved back to Los Angeles in June 2022, not long before the new rehabbed Ferry Building opened. I was so sorry that I didn't have all of the new amenities when it was my commuter terminal. What a great place it would have been to pick up a quick bite to eat or some last minute fancy groceries to bring home with me. And the redone building was stunning. They took incredible care with the restoration.

So I was excited to be able to relive my history and my emotions about the building through this book. It's a typical story of urban history. The original building was a grand and expensive design beyond what made any sense, but it survived the famous earthquake/fire of 1906 and sat grandly at the foot of Market Street as a symbol of the city. Then it outlived its usefulness as people quit using ferries and decayed for years until ferries made a comeback and people remembered how much they loved it, particularly once they were able to see it again in its full glory after a combination of earthquake and politics made it possible to get rid of the Embarcadero Freeway. All of this is laid out in this book with full detail of the colorful personalities and controversies that have accompanied the building for the 125 years of its existence. To me one of the most interesting stories was how San Francisco's legendary newspaper columnist, Herb Caen, had dismissed the Ferry Building as a useless hulk as a young man, but then became one its strongest defenders after he became more established.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deeply researched and very readable history of the San Francisco Ferry Building. I lived in San Francisco for many years beginning in the early 1970s and so I lived through so many of the events described in this book. Since I arrived after the construction of the Bay Bridge, the Ferry Building was of no importance to me. I worked in downtown San Francisco but rarely went to the waterfront so the book was eye opening and so enjoyable to read. I read about the controversies surrounding development on the waterfront, and from time to time I shopped at the Ferry Building but until the Giants moved to their downtown ball park and I moved to the North Bay and took the ferry to baseball games, I never saw this building from the water. It is a treasure and I hope it can be saved from the inevitable rising waters that will sooner or later wash over the Embarcadero.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book using the San Francisco Ferry Building as its anchor point. The architect, A. (Arthur) Page Brown, came from New York and had worked for McKim, Mead and White before he struck out on his own. He built several homes in Princeton (the McCosh Mansion), along with various academic buildings for the University before he left for the West Coast. His ties to high society procured him many assignments. The building was a great success when it opened in 1898 and survived both the 1906 earthquake and the Loma Prieta one in 1989. The development of the automobile and freeways was almost its undoing. But it survived and came back due to the iconic nature in representing the city of San Francisco. Parallels to other cities such as Boston and New York broaden the scope of the story.

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and it made me miss SF a ton. I learned a lot about not only the Ferry Building, but the waterfront and the Financial District around it. I have no memory of the Embarcadero Freeway, so learning about that and how it came up and then sent down (due to earthquake damage) was new to me. I also learned that the Ferry Building didn't really reopen for a few years until 2003 and I came to think of it, yep, I have no memories of going there my first one or two years at SF State. The ferry building has mostly been a place I would visit from 2010-2017ish when myself and a roommate would often visit the farmers market. But this is a quick read and although a little bland at times, those periods were brief. I enjoyed the multiple photos of the places described as the book went on. Good stuff if you're a architecture or SF fan.

[Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-fiction at its best! This is the story of how the shallow waterfront (with tons of landfill) was transformed from a wide, dirt ferry landing into a statement that stands to this day. Some fought for it; some against. Some said it could not be done. After all, the shallow bay area on which it was to be built would not possibly hold up an 600 foot long cement building with a tall clock tower!

Well, it was built in 1898 and it withstood the 1906 earthquake! The building made a statement to the nation and was part of the reinvention of American cities to accommodate increasing numbers of people, travelers, and the age of the automobile.

Quiz: Why was a huge, high freeway built in front of the Ferry Building, blocking it from view? And why was the freeway later demolished?

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not often there is a book written about a building you worked in for seven years. Unsurprisingly, a family member got this for me and I read it. It was nice to read a book with a lot of physical descriptions of places I knew well, although some aspects of the building described I found hard to picture. It was also nice to have some history of San Francisco. To the extent I know anything about the history of San Francisco, it's mostly picked up by osmosis. Some of the theories set forth towards the end of this book were that the Ferry Building was becoming more of a tourist attraction and less a reflection of the city itself (like Ghirardelli Square or Pier 39). I may be biased, as I'm quite fond of the Ferry Building, but I feel like that's a stretch.

[matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading John King since his articles in the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1990s, and this book struck me as a longer version of his columns: balanced, conversational, and full of great information. He takes the reader through the entire history of the Ferry Building, from what the area was before it was built; through the 1906 earthquake and Pan-Pacific Exhibition; through the World Wars and Depression; on to the highway-building boom of the 1950s; and up to the 1989 earthquake and aftermath. He details the decades of personalities and politicking, of plans and (fever) dreams. I love local history, and this is a fitting tribute to one of the most unique parts of the SF cityscape.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book about San Francisco's famous ferry building and how it's use has changed as the city has grown and changed - from before there were bridges, to highways, earthquakes and rising sea levels. The author did a great job of brining in other waterfront cities (Boston, NY, Baltimore) and how their waterfronts changed in similar ways. A great overview of the city's history as well.

[Tori Larett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a well written and interesting history of urban architecture in San Francisco, but missed a crucial opportunity for analysis on how racist and classist SF housing policy at the Embarcadero is. To me, a history that misses the ways that business and architectural splendor has eradicated poor communities is incomplete at best and insidious at worst. Also, the audiobook narrator mispronounced Marin the entire time and it was infuriating.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that mentions a lot of the history of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It also talks about the history of other parts of San Francisco and the Bay Area as well. I learned a lot more about San Francisco and its history. The Ferry Building is so historical. It is over 125 years old. It has been through so many changes. It survived and evolved so many times. It continues to be iconic.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed and thorough history of the Ferry Building, as well as design, architecture, urban renewal, and climate change. I thought it was very interesting and I appreciate the sources. It was particularly interesting to see the pictures of the Ferry Building throughout the different eras. Kudos to Mr. King!

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story of a key piece of San Francisco's built environment told through the lens of the Ferry Building. It feel so timely to me, having just listened to the Big Dig podcast (about Boston's Central Artery and airport tunnels) and as a past read of The Power Broker (about Robert Moses and NY's major highway projects).

[Catherine Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

San Francisco has been my home for over 40 years. Pretty much my whole adult life. I really enjoy reading books set in and about San Francisco. While Portal is ostensibly about San Francisco’s Ferry Building, it is about so much more. I was happy to add so much more info and understanding of the history, characters and happenings in my city.

[Simon Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully romanticized narrative that covers the past, present, and future of not just San Francisco's iconic Ferry Building - but in fact the city and region itself. Great for anyone interested in architecture, transport hubs, Bay Area politics, or just those who left their heart in San Francisco!

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one did not hold my interest and I found my attention wandering for the last half (except whenever they brought up people's ideas on traffic from the past, which was fascinating!). I put a hold on the physical copy so I can see photographs in the book since the audiobook unfortunately doesn't have those.

[Derek Ouyang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concisely covers lots of interesting details, and brings into sharp focus the degree to which so many past generations simply couldn't get their act together to understand the detriment of highway infrastructure and the opportunity of urban renewal in plain sight. Sure makes one think about the double-decker freeways blocking our urban dreams today. NIMBYism and regulatory bloat, perhaps?

[Bobby Shanahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and captivating architectural history of San Francisco from the perspective of the Ferry Building with insightful commentary and context of how and why cities evolve over time and how they will be shaped in the future.

[Nicholas Matson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic complete comprehensive look at a building I used to pass through every day and have long held dear. I’ve read quite a few books of similar ilk on different architectural icons and this is as good as it gets.

[David Tuttle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the history, particularly how the city changed over the years. The old pictures and maps were good. Often I found myself pulling up Google maps or some other website to look further into some topics.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good listen about a very specific topic, but tied into a larger theme

[Melissa Cripps · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating mix of history, architecture, urbanism and ecology - it is well written and I learned so much about San Fransisco. I only wish there were more pictures.