Even when it was scuffed and worn and barely alive, the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street was a beloved symbol of San Francisco's past.

Now, six months after a stunning $100 million restoration, the revived 1898 landmark is more than just a symbol. It is becoming an integral part of city life for the first time in more than 60 years, once again the most compelling link between downtown and the bay.

Our staid survivor is also -- surprise! -- a subversive architectural triumph. It makes a persuasive case that landmarks can't be frozen in time. They need to evolve with the cities around them -- and if that means taking liberties, so be it.

Viewed from afar, the building is as grandly formal as ever: a three-story- tall, 220-yard long procession of arches and arcades topped by a slender tower modeled on a 12th century Spanish tower. It holds its own both as an icon on the waterfront and as a backdrop to city life, winning us over with dignity rather than flash.

The same subdued tone carries through inside to the ground-floor retail concourse. Here, though, it's an invention.