San Francisco’s Iconic ‘Ghirardelli’ Chocolate Company Sign to Go Dark | Eater SF

"I learned that Jamestown Properties, which has owned the Fisherman’s Wharf–adjacent tourist destination Ghirardelli Square since 2013, will remove the structure’s massive "Ghirardelli" sign piece-by-piece in the coming days and erect a new sign later this summer. The sign is a landmark that also advertises the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, which, per its website, was launched in the 1800s by Domenico Ghirardelli as "Ghirardely & Girard," making it the third-oldest chocolate company in the U.S. The company eventually bought a city block previously occupied by the Pioneer Woolen Building and turned it into a candy-making factory, and as part of the 1915 World’s Fair the huge "Ghirardelli" sign was added to the structure. Even after the Golden Grain Macaroni Company bought Ghirardelli in the 1960s, moved chocolate production to a building in San Leandro and flipped the former factory, subsequent owners converted the building into Ghirardelli Square, a restaurant and retail space that the city later named an official landmark, and the gigantic "Ghirardelli" sign continued to shine. Jamestown says the sign has suffered persistent "electrical failures" in recent years, so workers will remove the sign letter-by-letter, transport it to an offsite facility, and build a replacement to be revealed later this summer—so if you notice the old sign missing in part or in whole, now you know why." - Eve Batey