Located in downtown San Francisco with prominent frontages on both Market and Mission Streets, the Bloomingdale’s at 835 Market Street is a retail and entertainment center catering to around-the-clock activities and services for Bay Area locals and visitors alike.
The design creates a strong presence and image in San Francisco. Situated in close proximity to historic Union Square and the contemporary Yerba Buena Gardens and SF MOMA, the Bloomindale’s building is a destination that mixes the classic beauty of the original Emporium façade and rotunda with the elegance and excitement of a sleek interior landscape and cutting edge program.
The design incorporates two major elements of the historic Emporium Building, designed by Albert Pissis and completed in 1896. Though the building’s structural elements survived the 1906 earthquake, a series of fires destroyed all but the seven-story façade facing Market Street. With the façade intact, the building was rebuilt to include the domed rotunda 102 feet in diameter and 51 feet high. The dome was preserved and relocated to become the top terminus and focal point of the new atrium. It is constructed of steel and sheet metal with glass panels and is ringed by a pillared gallery, with egg and dart capitals at the first level and Ionic columns above.
