This 2.6-acre parcel was landscaped in the early 1850s and was named on the eve of the Civil War, when it hosted numerous rallies in support of the Union. Today it is the hub of the city's most popular shopping district. The slender, 97ft granite Corin-thian column in the center of the square (1901) commemorates Admiral George Dewey's 1898 defeat of Spanish naval forces in the Bay of Manila; the bronze figure of Victory-armed with wreath and trident-surmounting it was reputedly modeled on sugar magnate Adolph Spreckels' bohemian wife, Alma, founder of the Palace of the Legion of Honor. Union Square Park was recently treated to a multimillion-dollar redesign, which replaced its grassy lawns with granite, making it more hospitable to public gatherings and less hospitable to the homeless people who once gathered there. There's a half-price ticket booth here, as well as a relaxing café.