Ghirardelli Square (adaptive reuse of Ghirardelli chocolate complex)

Ghirardelli Square occupies the site of the former Ghirardelli chocolate manufacturing complex established by Domenico Ghirardelli in the 19th century. In the 1960s the complex was redeveloped into a public square with shops and restaurants, becoming an early and influential example of adaptive reuse in urban historic preservation. The square remains closely associated with the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and is a well-known historic-commercial landmark on the northern waterfront.