With the structural failure of the Embarcadero Freeway during the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , San Francisco was offered the choice of whether to rebuild it or remove the freeway and reconnect the city with the eastern waterfront and the historic Ferry Building . As part of the larger rejection of the 1950s comprehensive freeway plan as unsympathetic to the city 's character , and the general unpopularity of the freeway , Mayor Art Agnos led the charge to remove the Embarcadero freeway entirely . It was replaced with a ground-level boulevard , which reconnected a significant portion of San Francisco 's waterfront and the rest of the city . Access was restored to Embarcadero Plaza ( previously Justin Herman Plaza ) and the foot of Market Street , of which the Ferry Building had been an integral part for so many decades
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
San Francisco Ferry Building