Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [152]
If there’s one landmark you can’t miss, it’s the familiar building on the corner of Montgomery Street and Columbus Avenue, the Transamerica Pyramid (take bus no. 15, 30X, or 41 to get there).
1 Transamerica Pyramid
Noted for its spire (which rises 212 ft. above the top floor) and its “wings” (which begin at the 29th floor and stop at the spire), this pyramid is San Francisco’s tallest building and a hallmark of the skyline. You might want to take a peek at one of the rotating art exhibits in the lobby or go around to the right and into 1⁄2-acre Redwood Park, which is part of the Transamerica Center.
The Transamerica Pyramid occupies part of the 600 block of Montgomery Street, which once held a historic building called:
2 The Montgomery Block
Originally four stories high, the Montgomery Block was the tallest building in the West when it was built in 1853. San Franciscans called it “Halleck’s Folly” because it was built on a raft of redwood logs that had been bolted together and floated at the edge of the ocean (which was right at Montgomery St. at that time). The building was demolished in 1959 but is fondly remembered for its historical importance as the power center of the city. Its tenants included artists and writers of all kinds, among them Jack London, George Sterling, Ambrose Bierce, Bret Harte, and Mark Twain. This is a picturesque area, but there’s no particular spot to direct you to. It’s worth looking around, however, if only for the block’s historical importance.
From the southeast corner of Montgomery and Washington streets, look across Washington to the corner of Columbus Avenue and you’ll see the original Transamerica Building, located at 4 Columbus Ave.
3 Original Transamerica Building
The original Transamerica Building is a Beaux Arts flatiron-shaped building covered in terra cotta; it was also the home of Sanwa Bank and Fugazi Bank. Built for the Banco Populare Italiano Operaia Fugazi in 1909, it was originally a two-story building and gained a third floor in 1916. In 1928, Fugazi merged his bank with the Bank of America, which was started by A. P. Giannini, who also created the Transamerica Corporation. The building now houses a Church of Scientology.
The Transamerica Building.
Cross Washington Street and continue north on Montgomery Street to no. 730, the:
4 Golden Era Building
Erected around 1852, this San Francisco historic landmark building is named after the literary magazine The Golden Era, which was published here. Some of the young writers who worked on the magazine were known as “the Bohemians”; they included Samuel Clemens (also known as Mark Twain) and Bret Harte (who began as a typesetter here). Backtrack a few dozen feet and stop for a minute to admire the exterior of the annex, at no. 722, which, after years of neglect and lawsuits, has finally been stabilized and is going to be developed. The Belli Annex, as it is currently known, is registered as a historic landmark.
Continue north on Washington Street and take the first right onto Jackson Street. Continue until you hit the:
5 400 Block of Jackson Square
Here’s where you’ll find some of the only commercial buildings to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire. The building at 415 Jackson St. (ca. 1853) served as headquarters for the Ghirardelli chocolate company from 1855 to 1894. The Hotaling Building (no. 451) was built in 1866 and features pediments and quoins of cast iron applied over the brick walls. At no. 441 is another of the buildings that survived the disaster of 1906. Constructed between 1850 and 1852 with ship masts for interior supporting columns, it served as the French Consulate from 1865 to 1876.
Cross the street and backtrack on Jackson