It’s The New Ghirardelli Square

The next time you find yourself in Ghirardelli Square, don’t just ogle the brickwork or scoff at the tourists.

Instead, treat the full-block complex facing Aquatic Park as a cultural history exhibit. The topic is San Francisco, a city where the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Once an aromatic factory, then a flower-bedecked dose of Urbanity Lite, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. has been repositioned yet again: this time as an upscale enclave. The upper floors of five historic structures have been converted from office and retail space into a “residence club” where, for prices starting at $275,000, purchasers will own the right to bed down 36 nights a year.

You’ll still find Ghirardelli ice cream and sundaes beneath the 1915 clock tower. But there’s also an organic cupcake boutique and a shop devoted to “pet couture.” Peekadoodle Kidsclub is billed as a “premium full-service indoor family club” - and while the kids play peek-a-boo, mom and dad can unwind at Cellar360’s 42-foot-long tasting bar.

Read the full story at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/DDOO11CB0I.DTL