From destruction to boom in San Francisco

New skyline, transit center mark a big shift in the city since the 1989 earthquake.

SAN FRANCISCO — On the ground once marked by devastation, a new city is rising.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake battered the gritty South of Market district, damaging the Embarcadero Freeway that walled off downtown San Francisco from the bay and left city leaders with a choice: Do they repair and retrofit it, or envision something bolder?

They chose to go in a new direction. And nearly three decades after the temblor, this civic bet is beginning to take shape. The most obvious example is San Francisco’s new skyline, clustered in the South of Market area by design and fueled by tech money.

The new $1-billion Salesforce Tower, which dwarfs any other skyscraper in the city, is getting the most attention. But it’s only part of the story. There is also a grand bus station and rooftop park set to open this summer.

Planners hope the transit center will eventually connect to Caltrain service to Silicon Valley, making it an essential hub for Bay Area commuters. Then there are a host of other nearby commercial developments powered by Silicon Valley gold.

Together, they represent a building boom the city hasn’t seen in decades as well as a significant shift toward

Josh Edelson For The Times MUCH OF the city’s new development is clustered in the South of Market area and fueled by tech money.

Associated Press THE DECISION to rid the city of the double-decker Embarcadero Freeway, above in 1957, prompted a reenvisioning of the area.

Andy Kuno For The Times CREWS tear down support columns for San Francisco’s Central Freeway in 1996. The city has made a bet on expanded mass transit.