Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company
Also known as: Ghirardelli Square
Why it's listed
Ghirardelli Square occupies an entire San Francisco block at 900 North Point Street and preserves three layers of local industrial and commercial history. In 1858 the site received the first woolen mill on the West Coast, replaced after a fire in 1861 by a brick mill designed by William S. Mooser. In 1893 the sons of Domingo Ghirardelli bought the mill and the block to expand their chocolate business. Between 1900 and 1923, William S. Mooser Sr. designed a group of red brick buildings trimmed in white cast concrete, including the Cocoa, Chocolate, Mustard and Power House buildings, placed to follow the sloping site and open to bay views. A large rooftop Ghirardelli sign dates from about 1915. Beginning in 1962, the complex was converted to shops, restaurants and a theater by Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, with plazas, planting and a fountain by Lawrence Halprin and Ruth Asawa. Street facades remain largely intact, and the project's early adaptive reuse drew wide acclaim.
Significance in brief: The block shows three phases of use: the West Coast's first woolen mill, a coordinated chocolate factory complex designed by William S. Mooser Sr., and an early, widely praised adaptive reuse as shops and restaurants with landscaping by Lawrence Halprin. The nomination stresses the unified red brick and white concrete design, the site planning that took advantage of the sloping ground, and the national and international acclaim for Ghirardelli Square.
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 82002249, listed April 29, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 900 N. Point St., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | April 29, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002249 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William S. Mooser (woolen mill); William S. Mooser, Senior (Ghirardelli buildings); Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons (1960s conversion); Lawrence Halprin (landscape) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Art, Conservation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as Ghirardelli Square, with shops, restaurants, a theater and landscaped plazas; condition rated excellent and altered. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.80563, -122.42288 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 82002249.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5556730
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.