APOLLO (Storeship)
Also known as: Apollo (Shipwreck site)
Why it's listed
Beneath the former Federal Reserve Bank building in downtown San Francisco lie the buried remains of Apollo, a wooden packet ship built in 1831 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She carried cargo and passengers in the transatlantic and Southern coastal trades before sailing from New York to San Francisco in 1849 with goods and passengers bound for the gold fields. After her crew deserted, she was beached in 1850 and enclosed in a two-story frame structure, serving as a warehouse and office space. A small adjoining saloon sold coffee, pie and doughnuts. Fill gradually surrounded her, and the fire of May 4, 1851 burned her to the waterline. Construction exposed parts of the hull in 1901, 1921 and 1925, and the site has been undisturbed since. The lower hull, wharf pilings and artifacts are believed to remain. The site was listed for its Gold Rush connections, maritime and commercial history, ship construction, and archeological potential.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues Apollo is nationally significant through her link to the California Gold Rush and as one of the best-documented of roughly 150 San Francisco storeships. Her surviving lower hull, wharf pilings and artifacts could yield information on early 19th-century New England shipbuilding and on storeship use. She also had earlier careers in the coastal and transatlantic packet trades.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91000561, listed May 16, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW corner of Sacramento and Battery Sts., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | May 16, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000561 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1831-1851 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Badger (built at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1831, for John Haven and Robert Rice) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Transportation, Maritime History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains buried and never excavated; last exposed in 1925 and undisturbed since. Current function listed as vacant, not in use. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 37.79439, -122.40008 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91000561.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4780274
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.