A nostalgic and alluring new sound has been added to the bustle of the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace: that of hundreds of individual metal panels whirring and flapping at a furious pace as they cycle through the alphabet and numbers, racing to post the current ferry departure times.
Left: The retro flap sign sprang to life at a February 13 press event, where it mesmerized onlookers with its trademark sounds as it updated ferry info. Right:The 700-pound flip sign, which is eight feet wide, was installed in the Great Nave of the Ferry Building under the cover of night to avoid interfering with approximately 11,000 daily commuters and visitors.
By Brenda Kahn
Published: March, 2013
A nostalgic and alluring new sound has been added to the bustle of the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace: that of hundreds of individual metal panels whirring and flapping at a furious pace as they cycle through the alphabet and numbers, racing to post the current ferry departure times.
This display of many moving parts is called a flap sign, and it’s just been installed in the Ferry Building’s Great Nave, suspended from the ceiling in the passageway leading from the Embarcadero to the ferry docks out back. The retro sign tells ferry riders at a glance when their boat is departing, letting them make the most of their waiting time by partaking of the Ferry Building’s many food and shopping opportunities.
Custom fabricated in Italy by the only remaining flap sign maker in the world and measuring eight feet across, the sign evokes a more romantic era of travel, when getting there was half the fun. It is one of only two such mechanical signs in the City, the other one being housed in a restaurant.
Dating back to the mid-20th century, flap signs were once common throughout the world, and can still be found in some rail stations and airports. Although historically styled, the new San Francisco flap sign is embedded with a high-tech processor that receives and posts departure times for more than a half-dozen ferry routes offered by three ferry systems (Golden Gate Transit, SF Bay Ferry and the Blue & Gold Fleet) using the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) 511 traveler information database.
The flap sign was selected to honor and harmonize with the classic aesthetics of the San Francisco Ferry Building — which opened in 1898 and is known for its ornate Beaux-Arts architecture. The arrival of the sign coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Ferry Building’s renovation and transformation into a bustling marketplace and farmers’ market.
Equity Office Senior Property Manager Jane Connors referred to the sign as MTC’s "spectacular addition to the Ferry Building’s most noted purpose, a place of transportation, arrivals and discoveries," at a press event on February 13 for the unveiling of the sign.
The new sign is part of MTC’s Hub Signage Program, which is installing maps, wayfinding signage and real-time transit displays in transit hubs around the Bay Area.
"The flap sign is a new tool for travelers and a distinctive addition to a beloved transportation landmark," said Anne W. Halsted, MTC commissioner and vice chair of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC).
Holding up a commemorative postcard with a photo of the sign and imprinted with phrase "Meet me by the flap sign... at the San Francisco Ferry Building," Halsted said she envisions a new San Francisco tradition in which couples and friends will use the sign as a meeting place.
"We need a sign like this to help not only our commuters know what time and where to go, but to help the myriad of visitors who come to San Francisco," said Monique Moyer, executive director of the Port of San Francisco.
Added David Chui, president of the S.F. Board of Supervisors, "I think this flap sign represents so much of what we love about San Francisco."
All photos by Noah Berger
The flap sign is a joint project of MTC, BCDC, the Port of San Francisco and Equity Office, the Ferry Building’s property management firm.
Read more about the flap sign and watch it in action at www.mtc.ca.gov/flapsign. Pick up a free flap sign commemorative postcard at the Bay Crossings store at the Ferry Building while supplies last. For more information call 510-817-5757.
Speakers at the February 13 unveiling included (from left to right) MTC Commissioner Anne W. Halsted; Equity Office Senior Property Manager Jane Connors; Port of San Francisco Executive Director Monique Moyer; San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and Bay Crossings Proprietor Bobby Winston.
The Ferry Building’s new flip sign is part of MTC’s Hub Signage Program, which is installing maps, wayfinding signage and real-time transit displays throughout the Bay Area.
