[1] The Embarcadero right-of-way begins at the intersection of Second and King Streets near Oracle Park, and travels north, passing under the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

Over fifty years a large offshore seawall was built and the mudflats filled, creating what today is San Francisco's Financial District.

These connections facilitated the growth of communities in the Sacramento- and San Joaquin Valleys and fostered California's agricultural business.

There was once a pedestrian footbridge that connected Market Street directly with the Ferry building and a subterranean roadway to move cars below the plaza.

[citation needed] During World War II, San Francisco's waterfront became a military logistics center; troops, equipment and supplies left the Port in support of the Pacific theater.

Almost every pier and wharf was involved in military activities, with troop ships and naval vessels tied up all along the Embarcadero.

The three dots, or ellipsis, deliberately are included in honor of columnist Herb Caen's Pulitzer Prize winning writing style.

A large public sculpture, Cupid's Span, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, was installed in 2002 along the Rincon Park area.

The Embarcadero seawall is over a century old, originally constructed between 1878 and 1916, and is in need of upgrades in order to ensure its integrity in the event of a major earthquake.