It led to the Financial District and is the location of both the original San Francisco Mint and the California headquarters for the Hudson's Bay Company.

Most of this later building was destroyed in the earthquake and fires of April 1906; but, the surviving remnant — the first-floor facade and a portion of the subterranean vaults — now helps to house the San Francisco Historical Society at 608 Commercial Street.

Commercial Street is showcased in the 1950 film noir thriller, Woman on the Run, directed by Norman Foster.

[1][2][3] In February 2023, San Francisco Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin introduced a resolution to add "Emperor Norton Place" as a commemorative name for the 600 block of Commercial Street.

The resolution was adopted by the Supervisors and approved by Mayor London Breed in April 2023, with signage installed in early May.