The classical facade of the Parrott Building has been a central fixture on Market Street since 1896. Designed by celebrated San Francisco architect Albert Pissis, the grand edifice housed both the Emporium department store and the California Supreme Court before being completely gutted in the fires following the Great Earthquake of 1906.
Upon reopening in 1908, the entire building had been rebuilt, including the Emporium's signature feature: a 102-foot wide glass and steel dome under which live orchestras would entertain shoppers and diners in Parisian style. The beautiful dome was blacked out during World War II and was neglected thereafter, until the Emporium eventually closed its doors in 1996.
Today, the classical Parrott Building has been given new life as the site of the Westfield San Francisco Centre, anchored by Bloomingdale's' west coast flagship, and both the 1908 Emporium facade and the grand dome have been meticulously and beautifully restored.
The Emporium Dome stands today, along with City Hall and the Palace of Fine Arts, as one of San Francisco's great Beaux-Arts treasures, and is well worth a visit.
See more of my Emporium Dome photos here.
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