Embarcadero Center Elevated Skybridges: The Concrete Canyons

Why is it significant?

Ascend the outdoor pedestrian staircase at Clay and Battery Streets onto the elevated pedestrian skybridges of the Embarcadero Center.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Ascend the outdoor pedestrian staircase at Clay and Battery Streets onto the elevated pedestrian skybridges of the Embarcadero Center. Constructed in phases between 1971 and 1982, this monumental eight-acre mixed-use commercial complex was designed by internationally celebrated Atlanta architect John Portman Jr. Comprising four soaring geometric concrete towers that step gracefully toward the bay, the complex was envisioned by Portman as an elevated 'city within a city', separating pedestrians from vehicular traffic across landscaped second- and third-level bridges and shopping terraces.

Stroll across the concrete skybridge and look down into the landscaped garden courts below. Portman integrated dozens of monumental outdoor sculptures by world-renowned contemporary artists directly into the pedestrian walkways, creating one of the largest corporate collections of public art in America. As you walk, you will pass monumental bronzes by Jacques Lipchitz, dynamic kinetic sculptures, and Willi Gutmann's soaring stainless-steel forms set against the brutalist ribbed concrete towers.

Look toward the eastern end of the complex at the Hyatt Regency hotel, also designed by Portman in 1973. Inside, its world-famous seventeen-story atrium lobby was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest hotel lobby in the world, famously featured in blockbuster films like 'The Towering Inferno' and Mel Brooks' 'High Anxiety'. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable panorama where dramatic coastal wilderness meets monumental human innovation. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable panorama where dramatic coastal wilderness meets monumental human innovation. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable panorama where dramatic coastal wilderness meets monumental human innovation.

Take time to enjoy the quiet vantage point from the elevated bridge, where the breeze carries the scent of salt water from the wharves just ahead.

Walk north through the elevated plaza toward Jackson Street, descending to the stone entrance of the United States Custom House.