Union Square in San Francisco

Union Square is a public plaza located around Powell street, Geary Blvd, Powell, Stockton street and Post. This is a great area for the family to visit after a morning of church. This square is in the downtown part of San Francisco. Union Square is part of a district that is comprised of hotels, theaters and lots of retail shopping. Check out Neiman Marcus or Tiffany’s Jewelry store just to name a few. The square originally was named due to the Union Army using this land for its rallies during the Civil War. This why the square has been given the title of a historical landmark in the state of California.

History of Union Square

Union Square started out as nothing more than a sand hill. Later, in 1850 the big mound of sand was turned into a park for the public.  In addition, the square was also made family friendly. The square was dedicated in 1850 by John Geary.  John was San Francisco’s first mayor. Also, the square was named for the rallies that were pro-union. These rallies were conducted by Thomas Starr King and occurred just prior Civil War in the US as well during the war. After the civil war, the plaza had gone through a lot of morphing. One of the most noticeable changes which can easily be identified was in the year 1903. This was when a 97-foot tall monument was dedicated to Admiral George Dewey’s victory. This was a victory that happened at the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish American war.

In the center, if the Union Square sees a Dewey Monument of about 85 feet which stands on about 9 foot, a statue of Nike, which is the old Greek Goddess of Victory. Right from the year 2009, the painted heart sculptures which came from the Hearts in San Francisco public art installation were installed in each of the four corners or areas of the square.