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A mammoth project which took almost 20 years to complete, San Francisco Embarcadero Center offers a 4.8 million mixed-use space composed of offices, entertainment facilities, retail shops and dining spots for both San Franciscans and travelers alike.

The Embarcadero Center is the pinnacle of the urban facelift project undertaken by the city government of San Francisco in the 1950s. This downtown waterfront district where Embarcadero Center currently stands was once dubbed as the Barbary Coast, which had a rich history dating back to the zenith of the California Gold Rush period. The Barbary Coast was a noisy, rowdy and disorderly area which thrived until the 1920s when the mayor of San Francisco back then decided to undertake initiatives to put order into the area. It was temporarily used as the Produce District which was ended when plans of creating a city within a city was conceptualized during the peak of San Francisco?s urban transformation and gave birth to the modern and bustling commercial and business complex that we know of today.

The Embarcadero Center was spearheaded by John Portman, David Rockefeller and Trammell Crow, together with the city government of San Francisco. The realization of this huge project took a while staring in 1968 with the construction of One Embarcadero Center which was finished in 1971.

Currently, the Embarcadero Center is the biggest mixed-use destination in Western United States. The primary cluster consists of five office skyscrapers coupled with three adjoined shopping centers within four structures. This was designed by visionary architect John C. Portman who stood for the seamless integration of fine architecture and fine arts. He saw to it that a magnificent art collection which can be accessed by the public is a vital element of the complex.

All in all, the Embarcadero Center is composed of six structures and the heart of the complex is made up of the four office towers: One Embarcadero Center, Two Embarcadero Center, Three Embarcadero Center and Four Embarcadero Center. The other structures are the Five Embarcadero Center which is the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, the Embarcadero West which is not adjoined to the other buidlings and the Le Meridien San Francisco which is the former Park Hyatt Hotel. One Embarcadero Center, Two Embarcadero Center, Three Embarcadero Center and Four Embarcadero Center are all part of San Francisco?s 50 tallest buildings, with One Embarcadero and Four Embarcadero (the outer towers) being the two tallest standing at 568 feet and 571 feet and ranked at 10th and 9th respectively.

The Embarcadero Center is an imposing figure in San Francisco?s financial district with over 14,000 people working in its premium offices day in and day out. Numerous multinational and big national companies hold office here. Apart from being a busy business epicenter, the center also houses 120 diverse lifestyle destinations such as fashion stores, famous restaurants, boutiques and a move theatre. The Embarcadero Center is also a favorite venue for art exhibitions, summer concert musical performances and garden shows. The two hotels within the center offer over 1,100 rooms for guests to savor this flourishing mixed-use complex.

In total, the Embarcadero Center is a testament to San Francisco?s bustling commercial, business and recreational offerings.
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