PacBell Building
Encyclopedia
The PacBell Building or 140 New Montgomery Street in San Francisco's
South of Market district is a Neo-Gothic, 132.6 m (435 ft) office tower located close to the St. Regis Museum Tower
and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
. The 26-floor
building was completed in 1925 and was San Francisco's first significant skyscraper development when construction began in 1924. The building was the tallest in San Francisco until the Russ Building
matched its height two years later in 1927. The building is illuminated at night.
The building was originally called the "Pacific Telephone Building". At the time of its construction, the operating telephone company it housed was Pacific Telephone & Telegraph, a member of the Bell System
. The building once had a bell motif in many places on its façade
, most notably surrounding the arch over the main entrance doors on New Montgomery Street. After the breakup of the Bell System (AT&T) and the formation the regional so-called Baby Bell companies, Pacific Telephone changed its name to "Pacific Bell". The tower has an "L" shaped floor plan and the architecture decoratively incorporates spotlights to light the outside of the building.
In 2007, The PacBell Building was purchased by investor Wilson Meany Sullivan and Stockbridge Capital Partners for US$118 million. Since then, the building has remained vacant, and photographs taken inside have shown water damage to the terracotta work of the 26th story auditorium, though much of the interior appears to be structurally intact. Developers submitted a request for a building permit and public comment in December 2008.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
South of Market district is a Neo-Gothic, 132.6 m (435 ft) office tower located close to the St. Regis Museum Tower
St. Regis Museum Tower
St. Regis Museum Tower is a highrise in the South of Market district of San Francisco, California, adjacent to Yerba Buena Gardens, Moscone Center, PacBell Building and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The 42-storey, tower is bounded by Mission Street, 3rd Streets and is operated by...
and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
. The 26-floor
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
building was completed in 1925 and was San Francisco's first significant skyscraper development when construction began in 1924. The building was the tallest in San Francisco until the Russ Building
Russ Building
The Russ Building is a Neo-Gothic office tower located in the Financial District of San Francisco, California. The building was completed in 1927 and had 32 floors as well as the city's first indoor parking garage...
matched its height two years later in 1927. The building is illuminated at night.
The building was originally called the "Pacific Telephone Building". At the time of its construction, the operating telephone company it housed was Pacific Telephone & Telegraph, a member of the Bell System
Bell System
The Bell System was the American Bell Telephone Company and then, subsequently, AT&T led system which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984, at various times as a monopoly. In 1984, the company was broken up into separate companies, by a U.S...
. The building once had a bell motif in many places on its façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, most notably surrounding the arch over the main entrance doors on New Montgomery Street. After the breakup of the Bell System (AT&T) and the formation the regional so-called Baby Bell companies, Pacific Telephone changed its name to "Pacific Bell". The tower has an "L" shaped floor plan and the architecture decoratively incorporates spotlights to light the outside of the building.
In 2007, The PacBell Building was purchased by investor Wilson Meany Sullivan and Stockbridge Capital Partners for US$118 million. Since then, the building has remained vacant, and photographs taken inside have shown water damage to the terracotta work of the 26th story auditorium, though much of the interior appears to be structurally intact. Developers submitted a request for a building permit and public comment in December 2008.
See also
- Russ BuildingRuss BuildingThe Russ Building is a Neo-Gothic office tower located in the Financial District of San Francisco, California. The building was completed in 1927 and had 32 floors as well as the city's first indoor parking garage...
- List of tallest buildings in San Francisco