Ferry Station Post Office Building

The Ferry Station Post Office Building anchors the Embarcadero with a massive, rusticated granite base and a clock tower modeled after the Giralda in Seville. Built in eighteen ninety-eight, it served as the primary gateway for travelers arriving in San Francisco by train and boat. When the nineteen oh six earthquake struck, the building survived while many surrounding structures burned. Clerk William Lillie stayed inside to protect the mail, reportedly using a bucket brigade to fight off the flames before escaping to the bay.