Ghirardelli Square

Ghirardelli Square is defined by its collection of brick industrial buildings crowned by a large, illuminated sign that has signaled to ships on the San Francisco Bay since the early twentieth century. This complex, situated at the foot of Russian Hill, was once the headquarters of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Domenico Ghirardelli, an Italian immigrant who refined his trade in South America, arrived in California during the gold rush and established a chocolate empire that eventually occupied these former woolen mills.