| Transamerica Pyramid | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2015 | |
  Transamerica Pyramid Location within San Francisco Show map of San Francisco Transamerica Pyramid Transamerica Pyramid (California) Show map of California Transamerica Pyramid Transamerica Pyramid (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Record height | |
| Tallest inSan Francisco from 1969 to 2017[I] | |
| Preceded by | Bank of America Center |
| Surpassed by | Salesforce Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 600Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA |
| Coordinates | 37°47′43″N122°24′10″W / 37.7952°N 122.4028°W /37.7952; -122.4028 |
| Construction started | December 1969 |
| Completed | 1972; 54 years ago (1972) |
| Cost | US$32 million |
| Owner | Michael Shvo |
| Management | Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc. |
| Height | |
| Roof | 853 ft (260 m) |
| Top floor | 695 ft (212 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 48 |
| Floor area | 499,000 sq ft (46,400 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 18 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | William L. Pereira &Harry D. Som |
| Structural engineer | Chin & Hensolt, Inc. Glumac International Simonson & Simonson |
| Main contractor | Dinwiddie Construction Co. |
| Website | |
| transamericapyramid | |
| References | |
| [1][2][3][4] | |
TheTransamerica Pyramid is a pyramid-shaped 48-story modernist skyscraper inSan Francisco, California, United States, and thesecond tallest building in theSan Francisco skyline.[5] Located at 600Montgomery Street between Clay and Washington Streets in the city'sFinancial District, it was the tallest building in San Francisco from its completion in 1972 until 2017 when the newly constructedSalesforce Tower surpassed its height.[6] The building no longer houses theheadquarters of theTransamerica Corporation, which moved its U.S. headquarters toBaltimore, Maryland. The building is still associated with the company by being depicted on the company's logo. Designed by architectWilliam Pereira and built by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, the building stands at 853 feet (260 m). On completion in 1972 it was theeighth-tallest building in the world.[7] It is also a popular tourist site. In 2020, the building was sold to NYC investorMichael Shvo, who in 2022 hiredNorman Foster to redesign the interiors and renovate the building.[8]
The area in which the building stands is historically important in the history of San Francisco. It is built onreclaimed land and stands on what was once the shoreline ofYerba Buena Cove, around which the Mexicanpueblo ofYerba Buena was founded in 1834. During theMexican-American War, a detachment from theUSSPortsmouth landed on this shoreline in 1846 and raised the American flag at what is nowPortsmouth Square, establishingAmerican ownership of the city.[9][10][11] Land reclamation of Yerba Buena Cove proceeded rapidly in the expanding city, and theMontgomery Block building was built on the site in 1853. The building housed offices and apartments for some of the city's best-known financiers, lawyers, and artists for over 100 years, before being demolished in 1959 and replaced by aparking lot.[12][13]
Transamerica Corporation was founded byA. P. Giannini in 1928, who bought the formerFugazi Bank Building at 4 Columbus Avenue, across from Montgomery Block, as a home for the newly-founded company. Theflatiron-shaped building served as the headquarters for Transamerica Corporation[14] until its 1972 move across the street into the Transamerica Pyramid. The former Transamerica Building now serves as San Francisco headquarters of theChurch of Scientology.[15]
The new Transamerica building was commissioned by Transamerica CEOJohn (Jack) R. Beckett, who chose an unusualpyramidal shape because he wished to allow light in the street below.[16] Construction began on the site of the former Montgomery Block in 1969 and was completed in 1972, overseen by San Francisco–based contractor Dinwiddie Construction, now Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company. Upon completion, the building had a structural height of 853 feet (260 m) and 48floors ofretail andoffice space.[17][18]
The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper west of Chicago upon completion in 1972, surpassing the thenBank of America Center, also in San Francisco. It was surpassed by theAon Center,Los Angeles, in 1974. In 2017, the still under-constructionSalesforce Tower surpassed the Transamerica Pyramid as thetallest building in San Francisco,[19] and upon completion in 2018, surpassed the Transamerica Pyramid by 117 feet in roof height and by 217 in total height.
The building is evocative of San Francisco and has become one of the many symbols of the city.[20] Designed by architectWilliam Pereira, it faced opposition during planning and construction and was sometimes referred to by detractors as "Pereira's Prick".[21] John King of theSan Francisco Chronicle summed up the improved opinion of the building in 2009 as "an architectural icon of the best sort – one that fits its location and gets better with age."[22] King also wrote in 2011 that it is "a uniquely memorable building, a triumph of the unexpected, unreal and engaging all at once. ... It is a presence and a persona, snapping into different focus with every fresh angle, every shift in light."[23]
The building is thought to have been the intended target of a terrorist attack, involving the hijacking of airplanes as part of theBojinka plot, which was foiled in 1995.[24] It is one of 39 San Francisco high rises reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as potentially vulnerable to a large earthquake, due to a flawed welding technique.[25]
In 1999, Transamerica was acquired by the Dutch insurance companyAegon. Transamerica and Aegon maintained only minimal presence in the building, with the majority of Transamerica's operations being shifted toCedar Rapids, Iowa and otherback office locations around the United States.[20] In 2011, Transamerica moved out of the building and out of San Francisco entirely, relocating its headquarters to theTransamerica Tower inBaltimore. (The company would move out of that building in 2015 after further downsizing.) Although the building was no longer Transamerica Corporation headquarters, it is still associated with the company and is depicted in the company'slogo, appearing even on the new company building in Baltimore.[citation needed]
In 2020, Aegon sold the building toSHVO andDeutsche Finance America for $650 million.[26] In 2022, SHVO and partners hired architect Norman Foster to undertake a $250 million renovation.[8][18]
The land use and zoning restrictions for the parcel limited the number of square feet of office that could be built upon the lot, which sits at the north boundary of the financial district.
The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two "wings" to accommodate an elevator shaft on the east and a stairwell and a smoke tower on the west.[27] The top 212 feet (65 m) of the building is the spire.[28] There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming the "Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck."[citation needed] Four monitors in the lobby, whose direction and zoom can be controlled by visitors, display the cameras' views 24 hours a day.[citation needed] An observation deck on the 27th floor was closed: the Pyramid's official website says that it was closed to the public in 2001,[29] whileThe New York Times reported that it has been closed "[s]ince the late 1990s".[30] It was replaced by the virtual observation deck a few years later. The video signal from the "Transamericam" was used for years by a local TV news station for live views of traffic and weather in downtown San Francisco.[citation needed]
The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. During theChristmas holiday season, onIndependence Day, and during the anniversary of 9/11, a brightly twinkling beacon called the "Crown Jewel" is lit at the top of the pyramid.[27]
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At the base of the building is a half-acreprivately owned public space designed by Tom Galli called Redwood Park. A number ofredwood trees were transplanted to this park from theSanta Cruz Mountains when the tower was built. It features a fountain and pond designed by Anthony Guzzardo, containing a jumping frog and lily pads bronze sculpture commemorating "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" byMark Twain (sculpture by Richard Clopton, 1996); aGlenna Goodacrebronze sculpture of children at play (1989); a bronze plaque honoring the dogsBummer and Lazarus, celebrating their skill at catching rats; and benches and tables offering respite to workers and visitors alike.[30][31][32]
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