Both historically and presently, the city of San Francisco is one of America’s fastest-growing boomtowns. Until the mid-19th century, the area that is now San Francisco was home to first a handful of indigenous villages, next a Spanish military fort and mission, then a small settlement in an independent Mexico. Following the annexation of California into the United States after the Mexican-American War and the subsequent California Gold Rush, San Francisco exploded into the major city it is today. Tragedy struck the blossoming city in 1906 in the form of a devastating earthquake that leveled or burned entire neighborhoods. Nevertheless, San Francisco rebuilt into a bigger and more magnificent city than ever before. Today the city is famous for its beautiful landscapes, rich urban environment, and its position at the forefront of emerging social movements. The anchor of the conglomerate of cities that make up the “Bay Area,” San Francisco’s powerful tech industry has given it an outsized presence in the global economy relative to its size. (NOTE: The PacBell Building and the Russ Building are available for purchase separately)
Included in this bundle are 8 of the most significant tall buildings that made up San Francisco’s early 20th century skyline (1890s - 1930s)
The PacBell Building towers 435ft (133m) above the intersection of New Montgomery and Minna streets. Standing apart from the other towers of downtown, this building is unique for being the only major skyscraper of the era constructed south of Market St. Designed by architects James Miller and Timothy Pflueger, the art deco tower was completed in 1925, where it became the tallest building in San Francisco. The building's massing, featuring elegant setbacks as it reaches to the sky, was inspired by Eliel Saarinen's highly influential 2nd-place finishing submission to design Chicago's Tribune Tower.
The Hunter-Dulin Building, also known as the California Commercial Wool Building, was completed in 1927 at a height of roughly 310ft (94m). It was designed by prominent New York firm Schultze & Weaver. The office building features an impressive roof reminiscent of French Renaissance architecture. Having been renovated at the turn of the millennium, it remains an impeccably preserved piece of San Francisco’s architectural heritage.
The Shell Building stands 378ft (115m) tall near the center of the city’s financial district. Designed by architect George W. Kelham for Shell Oil Company, the building was completed in 1929. One of the latest additions to San Francisco’s jazz-age skyline, the skyscraper features a blend of gothic and art deco styles. At the crown of the building are sculptures of clam shells, a nod to the tower’s namesake tenant.
The Russ Building is another George W. Kelham building, matching the PacBell Building’s soaring height of 435ft (133m). Completed in 1927 in a Gothic Revival style, the Russ Building stands not only tall, but immensely wide over the city’s financial district. Also beautifully preserved, the once prominent, now eclipsed building is a reminder of San Francisco’s past.
The Central Tower is the oldest building in this group, having been built in 1898. The tower, designed by Reid & Reid, is notably a survivor of the devastating 1906 earthquake. Heavily damaged but surviving nonetheless, the building stands to this day, although unrecognizable from its original appearance. The building once stood 315ft (95m) tall, capped by a lavish Baroque dome and corner cupolas. In 1938, the tower was renovated into its current iteration as a relatively nondescript building without its flamboyant top.
The McAllister Tower Apartments stands 308ft (94m) tall in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. The building was curiously intended to host a large Methodist Episcopal congregation with a hotel towering above it. Initially, the building was designed by Miller & Pflueger, but the developers later swapped them out for Lewis P. Hobart in what became a series of legal disputes. Opening in 1930, the building quickly ran into financial problems, turning over ownership first to another hotel, followed by offices for the US federal government, then to UC Hastings.
The Hobart Building is an oddly formed tower near the intersection of Market St and Montgomery St designed by Willis Polk and completed in 1914 for the Hobart Estate Company. Its triangular base holds up a pill-shaped tower that reaches a height of 285ft (87m), making the ornately decorated Renaissance-Revival building a highly unique piece of architecture unmatched in the city.
The Ferry Building is not a skyscraper like the rest of the buildings in this collection, but a city landmark nonetheless. Designed by A. Page Brown, the building ties the Central Tower for the oldest building in this collection. Another survivor of the transformative 1906 Earthquake, the Ferry Building is another example of San Francisco’s greatest surviving and best preserved pieces of historic architecture. The building is located at the Northeast terminus of Market St at the Embarcadero. The clock tower, said to have been inspired by the bell tower on a Spanish Cathedral, stands roughly 245ft (75m) tall. Greeting incoming ferry passengers from the water is the building’s iconic rooftop “PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO” sign made up of brightly lit letters around 8ft (2.5m) tall. Today the building is a major shopping and tourism destination as well as still functioning as a ferry terminal. (NOTE: Because of the dimensions of this building and its parts, there are multiple methods to print the full building listed below:
(The image and artistic font used on the title card of this pack comes from the 1932 Candrain Map of San Francisco sourced from Wikimedia. This image is public domain in the United States.)
