About
One of San Francisco's main retail and cultural centers, Union Square also refers to the actual park bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton streets, The park, named after the pro-Union rallies held there before and during the Civil War, was built and named in 1850 by San Francisco's first mayor, John Geary.
Today the area is one of the largest collections of retail stores, department stores, boutiques, tourist shops, art galleries, and salons in the Western United States, making it one of the world's premier shopping districts. Hotels and various performance halls help contribute to the area's cosmopolitan, 24-hour character.
Views of the square are best from Harry Denton's Starlight Room in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and from some of the second and third floor galleries and shops surrounding the square.
