Memories of Union Square

Union Square Watercolor by Watercolor Artist Dale Perkins

This painting of the Union Square Cable Car may have more personal memories than any other painting that I have done.  While in high school I worked as a House boy at the St. Francis Hotel (building at left);  worked at the Claremont Hotel as an elevator operator 2 blocks away; worked at the then Emporium  selling toys; and I worked at the White House Department Store also two blocks away as a stock boy.  Meanwhile my Mother worked in the stock room at the Emporium and my Father sold shoes also at the Emporium.  I walked 6 blocks from our apartment on Hyde and Ellis Streets to work and every day was a memory.  These personal memories will never pass and remain as important and meaningful times of my life.

Today Union Square serves as an ‘urban room’ in the heart of San Francisco and is a magnet that draws thousands of  locals and visitors to the City to enjoy the energy of San Francisco with some of the finest hotels, boutique shopping and theater.

Union Square got its name from the pro-Union rallies held there on the eve of the Civil War. The monument itself is also a tribute to the sailors of the United States Navy (Wikipedia)