William Chapman Ralston was a business man who was responsible for founding the first commercial bank in the western united states,&nbsp;the Bank of California. &nbsp;The Bank of California's major profits came from the financing and repossessing of defaulted mines.&nbsp;The bank helped finance the Southern Pacific&nbsp;Railroad, steamship lines, and especially the Comstock Mines&nbsp;in Nevada.&nbsp;The Bank of California closed in August 1875 after&nbsp;a time of volatile trading of Nevada mining stocks, and did not reopen until October of 1875.&nbsp;As for the building itself, the Bank of California building is a staple of San Francisco&nbsp;architecture. The building is three stories in the style of a classical temple.

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The Bank of California building is modeled after the Knickerbocker Trust Company building in New York City, and is San Francisco Landmark #3. Founded in 1864, the Bank of California is the oldest incorporated commercial bank in California, however this building was not built until 1906.

Bank of California

This short walking tour includes over a dozen historic buildings in San Francisco's famed Financial District surrounding the Transamerica Pyramid. The tour concludes at the original location of Ghirardelli's chocolate  factory.

San Francisco Financial District Walking Tour

The original structure on this plot was a 10-story building designed by Burnham and Root/D.H. Burnham &amp; Company and was completed in 1892. After surviving the 1906 earthquake, the building was restored by Willis Polk in 1908, who was also responsible for expanding the building in 1914 and 1918.&nbsp;The Mills Building is considered to be San Francisco's best example of the Chicago School of architecture. At the time of construction, the Mills building was the tallest in the city and remained that way for many years. The building saw a lot of damage following the fire of 1906 and so was rebuilt and extended by Willis Polk. The building was extended a further two times before the Mills Tower was erected at the rear of the building by Lewis Hobart in 1931.&nbsp;The period towards the end of the Victorian era saw the Chicago school of architecture expand rapidly in an architectural revolution and what were the early stages of the soon-to-be skyscraper. Innovations in building treatment meant that they could be built higher in a safer and more efficient way. The introduction of the steel frame as opposed to tradition masonry support, including throughout the exterior walls, revolutionised the way that we think about construction.&nbsp;One of the style's pioneers was William LeBaron Jenny, an engineer who eventually became an architect. In the early 1870’s, he employed Louis Sullivan, mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright, and among others he later employed were Daniel Hudson Burnham and John W. Root, who became the original architects of the Building as Burnham and Root. Of the first three steel frame buildings in San Francisco, only The Mills Building looks the same as its original state.&nbsp;The most distinctive feature of the building is the Montgomery Street entrance, a two-story archway that has been elaborately carved in the classical acanthus leaf and egg-and-dart motif, with carefully chiselled faces at the tops of each of the Corinthian columnns forming the base of the arch.

The 22-story Mills Tower was built in 1931 and designed by George W. Kelham and Lewis Parsons Hobart, the building is currently home to many financial firms including SeatMe, Pocket Gems, New York Stock Exchange, and Newedge. The two-building complex was designed in the Chicago school style with Romanesque design elements. The structures were declared San Francisco Designated Landmark #76 and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Mills Building and Tower, San Francisco

Alexander Leidesdorff was born in 1810 on the island of St.
Croix in the Danish West Indies. As a young man, Leidesdorff left the islands
and ventured to New Orleans. There he became a master of the boat, Julia Ann which sailed between New Orleans
and New York. Shortly after he had his sights on the coast of California. He
landed in Yerba Buena Cove and settled in the small town in 1841.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leidesdorff
only live in California for eight years but in that time, achieved a number of “first”
while there. He launched the first steamboat to sail on San Francisco Bay, The Sitka. He built the city’s first
hotel, City Hotel and built the first
shipping warehouse. Leidesdorff also gave his attention to the politics of the
town and was elected the Vice- Consul of the United States to Mexico making him
the first African American diplomat. He also donated some of his land in the
town to build California’s first public school and was elected to be on the
first school board in 1847.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1848
Leidesdorff died of brain fever leaving a large estate behind and the title of
San Francisco’s wealthiest man. That same year, gold was discovered on his
property raising its value to over a million dollars which is more than $30
million today. Leidesdorff was beloved by his community and received high
honors and respect at his funeral. He was a visionary and actively aided in
transforming the undeveloped city of San Francisco into the great city it is
today.

On the busy streets of San Francisco, one may pass by a statue of William Alexander Leidesdorff without even knowing that those streets wouldn’t have been there today without his contributions. Leidesdorff was the son of a Danish Jewish sugar planter and a Black plantation worker and migrated to California in 1841. While living there, Leidesdorff was a pioneer of growth in the city. Leidesdorff lived a brief time on the west coast before he passed away at the very young age of 38. With his successful merchant work and many business investments Leidesdorff is considered the first person of African descent to be a millionaire. 

William Alexander Leidesdorﬀ Statue

The fifteenth floor of the San Francisco Merchant's Exchange was originally known as the Commercial Club, a private club that has hosted meetings of local and international luminaries such as Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama (1)(2). It was renamed the Julia Morgan Ballroom in 1995 to honor Julia Morgan (1872 – 1957), California's first professional female architect (1). Morgan designed and restored the interiors of the Exchange after the 1906 earthquake and fire. She subsequently kept her offices in the tower for the rest of her career. Julia Morgan was the first woman to be accepted into the distinguished architecture school at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (3). A native San Franciscan, she designed more than 700 buildings in California, including the interiors of the Merchant's Exchange, as well as, most notably, Hearst Castle, built for media mogul William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon (3). Morgan worked on many buildings on the UC Berkeley and Mills College campuses (4)(5). She designed the Los Angeles Examiner building in Los Angeles, as well as five YWCA buildings in southern California, the YWCA of San Francisco, and the YWCA of Oakland (6). The Berkeley Playhouse, formerly St. Johns Presbyterian Church, is an example of her best work in the Arts and Crafts style (7). Morgan received the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal posthumously in 2014 and was the first female architect to receive this honor (8). The Julia Morgan School for Girls and Julia Morgan House in Sacramento are also named for her. The Julia Morgan Ballroom is available year-round for conference and event bookings. The Exchange Building is currently home to the California Bank &amp; Trust as well as other world class commercial offices (9).

Construction of the Merchant's Exchange building began in 1904. This fifteen-story structure was one of the only structures to survive the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire that destroyed over twenty thousand buildings throughout the city. Of course, the building sustained heavy damage, and the city of San Francisco commissioned architect Julia Morgan to restore its interiors. The building's ballroom is known today as the Julia Morgan Ballroom and it has been host to some of the most important gatherings in San Francisco's history. The Exchange building's Julia Morgan interiors as well as the 1904 exterior by Burnham & Polk, are excellent examples of the Beaux-Arts style, which was popular in France and the U.S. between 1880 - 1920.

 San Francisco Merchant's Exchange and Julia Morgan Ballroom

The Old Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Building is located in the Financial District in the city of San Francisco, California. Also known as the Bently Reserve, this structure served as the main headquarters of the city's Federal Reserve Bank for almost six decades. It was the first structure constructed for the San Francisco Federal Reserve System. Construction began on the building in 1924, following the establishment of the San Franciso Reserve Bank. On November 16, 1914, the bank had opened at a temporary location in order to comply with the Federal Reserve Act. In 1918, a lot measuring 119.5 by 275 feet was purchased for the construction of the Reserve Building, and a prominent architect, George Kelham, was chosen to work on the design of the structure. Kelham had previously been the chief architect of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and led the conservative wing of the San Francisco architectural establishment. Although construction was to begin on 1919, a shortage of labor and construction materials delayed work on the building. The need a proper facility was so pressing, however, that construction began by the next year, and was completed by 1924. Architecturally, the Federal Reserve Bank Building is representative of the Federal Government's use of monumental architecture during the beginning of the 20th Century. It features classically-inspired halls and takes influence from the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The structure's entablature is decorated with a row of free-standing eagles. In addition to the archtectural elements, the building has significant artistic merits, such as a mural in the main lobby painted by Jules Guerin; the mural depicts Venetian shipping merchants. The entrance houses two sculptures, "Hermes and Dyonisos: Monument to Analysis," by the New Realist Artist Arman, Dionysus, and Hermes. The spiral staircase encircles another sculpture by Fritz Koenig, a untitled bronze sphere with Black etchings. The foundation was intended to support additional stories, but the building was not expanded. John J. Balles, President of the San Francisco Federal Reserve, decided to relocate the Reserve headquarters, citing the need to consolidate departments and the increase in staff since the organization's inception. When the Federal Reserve Bank moved to larger facilities in 1983, the building was sold to private developers. It now functions as office space, and the upper rooms are rented out for fundraisers, events, meetings, and confeferences. Bently Holdings undertook an extensive rennovation effort after purchasing the Old Federal Reserve in 2005, updating the interior technologies to be more sustainable, and it is of only thirteen commerical spaces to recieve LEED-CI Platinum Certification from the US Green Building Council. The company also took great pains to preserve the original Beaux-Arts style of the structure. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. There are several other points of historic interest at the Old Federal Reserve. The basement vault, for example, has remained intact. Additionally, beneath the building are the remains of two scuttled ships. The Apollo and Niantic were among dozens of ships that were abandoned by their crew during the San Francisco Gold Rush. Records indicate that as many as 500 vessels filled the San Francisco Bay in 1849 as prospectors arrived in the city and were joined by crew members in the gold fields. Given the scarcity of lumber, some of these ships were brought ashore and used as homes or even store fronts. Two meeting rooms in the building are named after the ships found on the property.

Constructed in 1923, the Old Federal Reserve Building served as the headquarters of the San Francisco branch of the Federal Reserve until 1983. The San Francisco Federal Reserve is now located at 1st and Market Street, at a facility constructed to accommodate the growth of the branch. Also called the Bently Reserve, this historic structure has since been owned by several private companies. Although the building is not open to regular visitors, many of the boardrooms and other historic spaces are used for private and public functions.

Old Federal Reserve Bank Building, San Francisco 

Robert B. Woodward was a very&nbsp;interesting man. The businessman and collector was born in Rhode Island in 1824 and moved to San Francisco at the age of 25. In 1852 he opened up what would become one of the city's most popular hotels, What Cheer House, on Sacramento Street.&nbsp; The hotel was the port of call for many sailors when they were in the city, and they would often bring the well liked owner gifts and trinkets from around the world. The trinkets led Woodward towards being a&nbsp;collector, and sparked off what would become a life long obsession. He loved to collect plants, animals, and&nbsp;pieces of art. Due to the success of his venture Woodward was able to become quite wealthy, leading him to purchase&nbsp;a piece of land on Mission Street, building a home for him and his family. His beautiful home intrigued the local residents of San Francisco who would often try to gain an invitation inside.&nbsp;It became such a popular idea that in 1883 the San Francisco Examiner wrote, “Woodward realized that it was only a question of being pestered forever or quietly throwing open his place.”&nbsp; Eventually Woodward did decide to open up his home to the public. He took trips to Europe to find thousands of dollars worth of unique artwork and geological and animal specimens, turning the home into a public attraction.

What Cheer House was established in 1852 by R.B. Woodward as a male-exclusive hotel. It was a dry establishment and was also the site of San Francisco's first free library and museum. Located in the Financial District of San Francisco, the building served as office space as well. Unfortunately, however, the building burned down in 1906. Today, the location of what was the What Cheer House is a state registered historic site, and an official plaque can be viewed on the side of the Wells Fargo building in Leidesdorff Alley.

What Cheer House

When A.P. Giannini and his associates launched the Bank of
Italy in North Beach on October 17, 1904, they were headquartered in a section
of the Drexler Building on Montgomery (now Columbus) Avenue which had formerly
housed a saloon. After the San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed this
structure in 1906, the bank was forced to seek other quarters. Shortly after
this disaster, Giannini set up two makeshift offices. Shortly thereafter, more
permanent accommodation was found in a building on Montgomery Avenue near the
site of the original headquarters.

This little-altered, eight-story, Renaissance Revival
structure, situated in San Francisco's financial district, served as
headquarters for A. P. Giannini 's Bank of Italy from August 17, 1908 to 1921, when
operations were moved to a newer building at 1 Powell Street. &nbsp;In the 1930’s the old headquarters at 552 Montgomery
Street became a branch of the Bank of America. 

The structure of the building is steel-framed, consisting of
a two-story base, a four-story shaft, and a two-story crown. The building was
designed by Frank T. Shea of Shea &amp; Lofquist, architects. The ground floor
facade is built from granite cladding while the upper ones, which mimic the
design forms, are from less expensive terra-cotta. The interior is a jewel box
of white marble and gold leaf detailing with a spectacular coffered ceiling.
Although F.T. Shea was the building's architect, Giannini himself closely
supervised its design and construction.

On September 4, 2012 men's luxury retailer Wingtip (formerly
known as On The Fly) opened a retail location on the building's ground floor,
with tailoring and barber services in the basement vault.&nbsp;

The Bank of Italy building opened in 1908 and is located in San Francisco's Financial District. The Bank of Italy moved into this building after the San Francisco Fire of 1906 destroyed their building and many others throughout the city.  This bank was first established to serve local working class citizens, especially Italians from the city's North Beach (Little Italy) neighborhood. It served for over 10 years as headquarters for the Bank of Italy and later merged with the Bank of America. It is now a National Historic Landmark and also known as the Clay‐Montgomery building.

Bank of Italy Building

The Pacific Heritage Museum of San Francisco was established
in 1984 by the former Bank of Canton of California, now United Commercial Bank,
as a public service for the citizens and visitors of San Francisco. The museum
is housed in the historic US Subtreasury Building, dating from 1875 and built
on the site of the original US Branch Mint. The mint, which outgrew its
Commercial Street location during the height of the California gold rush era,
moved to a new and larger location in 1874. The US Subtreasury used the old
mint structure for a year, after which it was demolished and replaced with a
four-story brick building designed by treasury architect William Appleton
Potter. While the building was one of the few to have withstood the earthquake
of 1906, it was entirely gutted by the ensuing fire and reconstructed as the
single story building which presently occupies the site.

The building has been carefully preserved and restored as a
free-standing structure integrated into the Bank's overall building design.
Recognized as a California State Historical Landmark in 1949 and as a San
Francisco city landmark in 1970, the restored building now houses a historical
exhibit documenting the history and significance of the Branch Mint and
Subtreasury buildings over time. This exhibit, located in a cut-away section
through the original building depicting its unique construction techniques,
includes architectural plans, photographs, coins and other artifacts pertinent
to the role of the site in the early development of San Francisco.

The Pacific Heritage Museum displays on a rotating basis
selected exhibitions based on the broad theme of the artistic, cultural and
economic achievements of the peoples of the Pacific Rim. In addition to
organizing its own exhibitions, the Museum also presents exhibitions with
museums elsewhere in the United States and other countries.

The museum is housed in the historic US Subtreasury Building, dating from 1875 and built on the site of the original US Branch Mint. Recognized as a California State Historical Landmark (No. 87) in 1949 and as a San Francisco city landmark in 1970, the restored building now houses a historical exhibit documenting the history and significance of the Branch Mint and Subtreasury buildings over time. The Pacific Heritage Museum also displays exhibitions based on the broad theme of the artistic, cultural and economic achievements of the peoples of the Pacific Rim.

Pacific Heritage Museum

The Gold Rush transformed San Francisco from a small settlement into a growing city in a remarkably short period of time. Among the influx of miners and adventurers who made up the city's booming population were more than a few eccentric characters, and one of the most colorful was Joshua Abraham Norton.Norton was an Englishman by birth. Like thousands of others, he saw a chance to make his fortune in the Gold Rush and migrated to California in 1849. Within the space of a few years, Norton made a fortune in real estate but lost it equally quickly, declaring bankruptcy in 1856. In the few years following his bankruptcy, Norton receded from public view. By 1859, Norton seemed to have become a different person. Although he had not exhibited any obvious mental illness prior to his bankruptcy, it was clear that Norton now was unstable. He walked into the office of the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin with a "document" in which he declared himself "Norton I, Emperor of the United States."San Franciscans, being a peculiar lot themselves, hardly batted an eye. Locals began referring to him as Emperor Norton and bowing in his presence. He issued numerous imperial decrees, which were printed in local newspapers with great fanfare. When the country teetered on the verge of civil war, Norton announced that he had abolished the Union altogether and replaced it with a monarchy. He issued his own currency and routinely called for the abolition of Congress.Emperor Norton became a local celebrity. He ate for free at restaurants and had a special seat on opening night at local theaters. When his epaulet-studded uniform became tattered, city officials gave him a new one. Dolls were made in his image. Visiting dignitaries asked to meet him, and Mark Twain reportedly based the character of the King in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" on Norton. When Norton died in 1880, it was discovered that Norton was penniless and had no means to provide for his own burial. San Franciscans paid for Norton's funeral, and the San Francisco Chronicle numbered the attendance at 10,000. The Chronicle ran the headline "Le Roi Est Mort" (The King is Dead). From 1864 or 1865 until his death, Emperor Norton lived at the Eureka Lodgings — a modest rooming house located within a building at 624 Commercial Street. The building was lost in the earthquake and fires of 1906. A new 4-story apartment building was constructed on the site in 1910. This building — whose address since has been changed to 650–654 Commercial Street — now occupies the space which was once home to San Francisco royalty.

Among the many eccentric characters who have called San Francisco home, few can compare to Joshua Abraham Norton, better known as Emperor Norton. In reality, Norton had only a meager, precarious income and lived in a rooming house on Commercial Street. But, in typical San Francisco fashion, locals indulged him in his fantasy, making him something of a celebrity.

Residence of Emperor Norton (650/652/654 Commercial Street)

Upon declaring war on Mexico on May 13, 1846, President James K. Polk&nbsp;immediately called for the capture of&nbsp;California from the Mexicans. California had been a territory that Polk had desired ever since the&nbsp;annexation of Texas in 1845, and when war with Mexico broke out, he saw the perfect opportunity to take hold of the land he wanted. The&nbsp;US Pacific&nbsp;Squadron&nbsp;was given the order to occupy every important port and city in California, with force if necessary. On July 7, 1846, the ships USS&nbsp;Savannah, Cyane&nbsp;and&nbsp;Levant&nbsp;captured&nbsp;the Alta (Upper)&nbsp;Californian capital city of Monterey without firing a shot. This procedure of occupation would set the stage for the Battle of Yerba Buena, which would follow a few days later. On July 9, 1846, the USS&nbsp;Portsmouth, captained by Commander&nbsp;John B. Montgomery, sailed into San Francisco Bay, with the intent of capturing the town of&nbsp;Yerba Buena. Aboard the Portsmouth were 220 sailors and enlisted men, along with a contingent of 27 marines. The small Mexican force garrisoning the&nbsp;Presidio&nbsp;did not fire upon the USS Portsmouth, for fear that they would become obliterated. The Portsmouth landed a distance off the shore, and a group of sailors, soldiers and marines, as well as Montgomery and his staff, disembarked in rowboats for Yerba Buena. Upon landing on the shore, Mexican soldiers held their fire, and the&nbsp;Californios&nbsp;grouped together to watch the American force. Montgomery and his force walked up to the flagpole in the town square, where the Mexican flag was flown. He quickly tore it down, and hoisted the Stars and Stripes in its place, proclaiming that the town of Yerba Buena, and all of the land surrounding it, belonged to the United States. After Montgomery's speech, the marine band began to play Yankee Doodle, and the USS Portsmouth fired a 21 gun salute, to celebrate the capture of Yerba Buena. Following the capture of the town itself, Montgomery ordered a detachment of troops to seize the Presidio of San Francisco, and confiscate any weaponry they found, which the detachment did without conflict. Thus, the pueblo of Yerba Buena, and the land that would become eventually known as San Francisco, was captured by the United States of America. The site was also home to the first public school built in California in 1847. Many other events occurred in the same area, since renamed Portsmouth Square in honor the USS&nbsp;Portsmouth:&nbsp; On May 11, 1848, the&nbsp;discovery of gold&nbsp;was announced when&nbsp;Sam Brennan&nbsp;showed his gold to a crowd. On June 12, 1849, a crowd was gathered at the plaza, demanding election of delegates at the Monterey Constitutional Convention. An assembly was organized on July 16, 1849 to fight against a lawless body 'The Hounds.' On August 29, 1850, a memorial service was held after the death of&nbsp;President Zachary Taylor, also a war hero of the Mexican War. The First Admission Day celebration was held October 29, 1850 when California became the 31st state of the United States. On June 1, 1852, a crowd protested against the purchase of the Jenny Lind Theatre as the city hall. On September 18, 1859, Colonel&nbsp;E.D. Baker&nbsp;delivered an oration after U.S. Senator&nbsp;David C. Broderick&nbsp;was killed in a duel with California Chief Justice&nbsp;David S. Terry. Director Don Siegal filmed a scene from the 1971 movie Dirty Harry in the Square. As the character "Dirty Harry" follows "Scorpio" it is possible to see the stone bridge&nbsp;joining the park to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, at the Hilton Financial.In 1987, the park underwent its second major renovation. The first phase involved installing new elevators and bathrooms on the top of the park. The second phase began in 1994, included installation of child play structures,&nbsp;Chinese Chess&nbsp;tables, benches, and landscaping. Phase three included the construction of a new community room and play areas. This $3.9 million renovation was completed and the park was opened to the public in 2001

Now the Portsmouth Square, this was the site of the raising of the American flag after Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) was captured during the Mexico-American War. During the war, Captain John Berrien Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth was ordered to seize Yerba Buena. On July 9, 1846, the first American flag was raised near the Mexican adobe custom house in the plaza that would eventually be named Portsmouth Square in honor of the ship.

Capture of Yerba Buena (San Francisco) and Portsmouth Square Plaza

The Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial was erected in San Francisco, California, in 1897, nearly three years after the author's death, to honor his memory, legacy, and the brief period he lived in the city. It was originally designed by landscaper Bruce Porter and architect Willis Polk. The monument still remains standing to this day. Engraved on the monument is an excerpt from Stevenson's travel memoir, Across the Plains, which reads: <blockquote>"To be honest, to be kind - to earn a little, to spend a little less - to make upon the whole a family happier for his presence - to renounce when that shall be necessary, and not be embittered - to keep a few friends but these without capitulation - above all on the same grim condition to keep friends with himself - here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy."</blockquote>During his time in San Francisco, between December 1879 and March 1890, Stevenson lived near what is today Portsmouth Plaza at 608 Bush Street. His time in San Francisco was not particularly fruitful or pleasant. Upon his arrival from Monterey, California, following his partial recovery from a critical illness, he discovered he would now have to live on less than $0.40 a day as he struggled to begin his writing career. Subsequently, he once again became critically ill and was eventually nursed back to health by his soon-to-be wife, Fanny Van de Grift. Upon his recovery, the two soon married and departed to Napa. Today, the monument is a popular site for literary tourists.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of classics such as "Treasure Island" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," lived in San Francisco for a short period between 1879-1880. While there, he struggled with his writing career and eventually fell severely ill. After his recovery, he married and soon departed for Napa. However, in remembrance of the author's time in San Francisco, this monument to him was erected in 1897. 

The Robert Louis Stevenson Monument 

The Pony Express officially commenced on April 3, 1860, from St. Joseph, Missouri. The entire Pony Express route, which took ten days of predominantly overland travel on horseback covering nearly 2,000 miles, concluded with a rider dismounting his horse for a stint of river transit via a steamship from Sacramento to San Francisco as the final relay leg of the route. Thus, the first ever Pony Express rider to reach San Francisco did so via the river steamer, Antelope, which arrived in port at approximately 1:00 a.m. on April 14, 1860, in the wee hours of morning, the city of San Francisco welcomed the rider and his horse with a public reception and celebration. Throngs of people eagerly awaited the completion of the first ever westbound journey of the Pony Express. The Pony Express was founded by three men in the stagecoach business, William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell. They sought to create a faster overland route for communication in the years just before the telegraph became accessible to the western half of the nation, especially for the purpose of connecting the western frontier in Missouri with the Pacific coast and the communities that had formed in California after the 1849 Gold Rush. Moreover, the Pony Express route was considered vitally important in linking the nation, particularly as there was a risk of California's secession from the Union just before the outbreak of Civil War. It was thought by some that the Pony Express could perhaps help to link the nation together. At the start of their venture, the founders of the Pony Express acquired 600 of the most stalwart broncos, while placing ads for 75 male riders under age 18 who met similarly strict criteria for bravery. Riders had to weigh less than 110 pounds in order to keep the weight burden upon the animals as low as possible. The cost of sending one piece of mail from Missouri to California was $5, estimated at approximately $140 by today's standards. Riders were commissioned to carry the mail in mochila (saddlebags), padlocked to ensure safety from ambushes, which were common in the west. Throughout each relay leg of the journey, a rider would dash at full speed for 60-100 miles, before transferring the mochila filled with mail to the next rider. Every 10-15 miles, a rider would change horses; thus, each rider would usually ride six horses during his particular leg of the route.  The first rider ever to reach San Francisco via the Pony Express was greeted by cheering crowds who congregated on the street after midnight for a public welcome reception replete with marching bands, fireworks, and speeches to congratulate the rider and his horse in completing the final leg of the relay. This final leg entailed dismounted transit on a river steamer from Sacramento. Before the Pony Express was founded, mail could take several weeks to travel from coast to coast, including partial transit by stagecoach. The first batch of mail ever to reach California by Pony Express contained a message sent from President Buchanan on the east coast to the Governor of California on the west coast. The President's goodwill message was sent by telegraph from Washington on the east coast to St. Joseph, Missouri, where it was recorded and then carried by Pony Express to California. It reached the Governor ten days later. From April 3, 1860 until October 26, 1861, the Pony Express operated in every kind of weather over frequently harsh terrain, with riders and their horses susceptible to many possible dangers. Less that two years after it was founded, the Pony Express officially ceased its operations due to the installation of a system of copper telegraph wires connecting the western U.S. with the Pacific coast, which allowed for quick communication, thereby undermining the need for the Pony Express. Although the Pony Express was terminated at the end of October 1861, mail continued to travel by Pony Express during November 1861, until the last batch of letters were delivered. Five years after the official end of the Pony Express, rail transportation finally advanced through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, further linking the western U.S. with the Pacific coast. Although the Pony Express was short-lived, it left an impressive legacy, one that has been much romanticized over the years. There is debate as to whether “Buffalo Bill” Cody and other outlaw figures of the American West once served as riders, as this idea was popularized in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows. Regardless, for a brief period, the Pony Express served an important purpose in facilitating communication and connecting the nation during the fraught years just before the Civil War. Nearly a century later, Frank S. Poppelwell, a history professor at St. Joseph’s Jr. College in Missouri, wrote this retrospective assessment of the Pony Express for the Missouri Historical Review: <blockquote>“In mid-[nineteenth] century America, communication between St. Joseph, on the fringe of western settlement, and gold mining communities of California challenged the bold and made skeptical the timid. Into this picture rode the Pony Express. In rain and in snow, in sleet and in hail over moonlit prairie, down tortuous mountain path . . . pounding pony feet knitted together the ragged edges of a rising nation.”</blockquote>

This historical marker commemorates the arrival of the first Pony Express rider in San Francisco on April 14, 1860. The rider completed the final relay leg of the mail delivery route, which departed from St. Joseph, Missouri, ten days earlier, on April 3, 1860. This commencement date from Missouri marked the official start of the Pony Express. 

To commemorate this event, a historical marker was erected in 1936 by the Oregon Trail Memorial Association in conjunction with the Native Sons of the Golden West. The Pony Express marker is part of a series of historical markers sponsored by the Native Sons/Daughters of the Golden West. It is also part of the Pony Express National Historic Trail marker series. 


Pony Express Historical Marker, San Francisco

Originally commissioned by Transamerica CEO John Beckett, the building's 48 floors of retail and office space sits on the historic Montgomery Block. The construction,&nbsp;which lasted from 1969 to 1972, was overseen by San Francisco-based contractor Dinwiddie Construction (now Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company). Transamerica moved its headquarters to the Pyramid Building from across the street, where it had been based in the Old Fugazi Building.Although the Transamerica Corporation's headquarters is no longer at the Pyramid Building, it is still associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. It faced opposition during planning and construction and was sometimes referred to by detractors as "Pereira's Prick".From 1972 to 1074 the building was the tallest skyscraper west of Chicago until it was surpassed by the Aon Center in Los Angeles.The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest skyscraper in San Francisco until Salesforce Tower officially completes in 2018.

The Transamerica Pyramid is the second-tallest skyscraper in San Francisco skyline at 853 feet and has stood since 1972. Despite its namesake, the building is no longer the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation as it moved its U.S. headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland. The building was designed by architect William Pereira and built by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company. Construction started in 1969 and was completed three years later. On completion in 1972 it was the eighth tallest building in the world.

Transamerica Pyramid

The Black Cat Bar located at 710 Montgomery St., San Francisco California, was first established in 1906 on the corner of Eddy and Mason in the Tenderloin district. Some notable regulars included the writers John Steinbeck and William Saroyan, and entertainer Bette Davis. Gay establishments like the Black Cat had a fraught relationship with prostitution, which brought the attention of police during periods of vice crackdowns. In 1921, the bar lost its dance permit and closed for over a decade, after women were observed mingling too much with guests, signaling possible prostitution. As the 1954 police raid and ensuing press scandal at nearby Tommy’s Place/12 Adler Place shows, the connection and connotation of queer bars and nightclubs with prostitution persisted long after the Black Cat’s closure, and became more prominent during the moral panic of the 1950s. San Francisco has had a long history of opposing reform movements in the name of maintaining its particular reputation for being a “wide open town,” including anti-alcohol efforts like the temperance movement. This created an environment in which queer spaces could become established. During Prohibition, San Francisco was one of the “wettest” cities: speakeasies and bootlegging operations abounded. Thus, following Prohibition, liquor interests held significant sway in the city. Furthermore, state-level control of alcohol regulation fell to the state’s tax board, which was less inclined to focus on vice control. As a result, nightclubs and entertainment abounded post-Prohibition, including the Black Cat, which reopened during this time. Sal Stoumen purchased the club in the 1940s, and like many other establishments during the war era and the late 40s/early 50s, began to serve an increasingly gay clientele, and found itself on the armed forces list of “off limits” establishments as a result. Police raided the bar in 1949, but this did not dampen the bar’s popularity, driven by its performances by female impersonators, particularly José Sarria. Sarria and other performers’ and staff’s “defensive” interactions with tourists and heterosexual couples, according to Nan Alamilla Boyd, “defended their space from being overrun by tourists and outsiders” by “enforcing a culture that assumed everyone in the bar was gay—and gayness was not simply the norm but a preferred way of being.”(59). For example, heterosexual men entering with a woman would be greeted with calls like “I didn’t know I was merely another woman” or “Why haven’t you ever told me you were married?” (58). The bar became one of the most prominent examples of gay bars as a visible institutions, and performances like Sarria’s did much to create “a unified and resistant bar-based gay and transgender community.” Sarria, in his campaign for city supervisor in 1961, coined the phrase “gay is good!” Gay bars began to become the center of an explicitly politicized movement. As the stories of The Black Cat and Tommy’s Place tell, gay and lesbian communities that “fought to defend their territory from police intrusion… came to understand the power of collective action. Their choice to legally defend themselves with the right to (group) public association rather than (individual) privacy rights inserted new ideas and new language into a nascent movement for lesbian and gay civil rights” (Boyd 17). Owner Sal Stoumen took the state to court following the 1949 raid, and in 1951 the CA Supreme Court issued a decision that ruled that simply having homosexual patrons was not sufficient grounds for suspending its liquor license, and that it was not illegal for gay people to simply assemble. Despite the growing resistance and political solidarity within the city’s gay bars and nightclubs, the years ahead would see greater crackdowns in San Francisco, spurred on in part by the creation of the CA Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control and stricter laws, during the era of McCarthyism and what has become known as the “The Lavender Scare.” Despite Stoumen’s efforts, The Black Cat finally closed in 1964 under this pressure, after the bar lost its liquor license in a raid on October 31, 1963. However, the mark left by the Black Cat, Stoumen’s decade-and-a-half-long battle, and Sarria’s calls for solidarity, would not be lost.

Not to be confused with The Black Cat of Los Angeles (site of a landmark gay rights protest in 1967), the Black Cat bar was a bar and club located here from 1906-1964. The bar garnered an increasingly gay and tourist clientele beginning in the war years, leading to a raid in 1949. A 1951 State Supreme Court case over its liquor license was one of the earliest cases establishing legal protections for LGBT Americans. In the years following, spurred in particular by the performances of José Sarria, who later went on to be the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States. The Black Cat is a key example of how the gay public spaces became an integral part of the queer community in San Francisco.

The Black Cat Bar

Fugazi Bank (Fugazi Banca Popolare Operaia Italiana) was incorporated in San Francisco on November 2nd, 1906, seven months after the earthquake and fire destroyed four square miles of the city. Giovanni ("John") F. Fugazi, a native of the Milan region of Italy, was the first president of the bank, which began operating on November 20th. Frank N. Belgrano was the cashier; Belgrano had been the cashier at Columbus Savings &amp; Loan until he resigned to take the new job. Fugazi also founded Columbus Savings &amp; Loan in San Francisco in 1893, the first Italian bank in the heavily Italian-American North Beach neighborhood. The Columbus was located on the first floor of the Drexler Building on Washington St., on a triangular lot at the intersection with Montgomery Street and Montgomery Avenue (later renamed Columbus Ave.).The Transamerica Corporation is essentially a holding company for a multitude of life insurance and investments firms that do business primarily in the US. It was founded by Amadeo Peter Giannini, who created the Bank of Italy in San Francisco in 1904, later becoming the Bank of America. Giannini was born in San Jose to immigrants from Genoa, Italy. Giannini was previously on the board of Fugazi Bank, but resigned in 1904 after his suggestions for expanding the bank's customers to more locals from across the economic spectrum were repeatedly ignored. Giannini purchased the property of a saloon owner who wanted to retire, next door to the Drexler Building, and renovated it for his new bank. He also managed to acquire the entire Drexler Building, and promptly tripled Fugazi's rent. Fugazi was livid and moved the Columbus Savings &amp; Loan across the street, on a triangular lot bounded by Columbus Ave. and Montgomery St. Giannini also lured away Fugazi's assistant cashier, Armando Pedrini, by doubling his salary; Bank of Italy opened in October 1904. Both banks' buildings were heavily damaged by the 1906 earthquake and fire.Fugazi apparently decided to start fresh by founding a new bank after the quake. The Fugazi Bank building was built in 1909 of reinforced concrete faced with white terra cotta and was finished inside with Greek marble; the architect of the Classical Revival building was Charles P. Faff. The bank occupied the first floor; at least one physician, Dr. Scaparone, and an architect, C. Fantoni, had offices in the "Popular Bank Building." The Bank of Italy's building was one block south at Montgomery and Clay. Bank of Italy acquired a number of other California banks. John F. Fugazi's sons, James and Samuel B., were added to the board of the Bank of Italy in 1913; the Bank of Italy had grown so much by then that it was no longer a rival of Fugazi Bank. In 1916, John F. Fugazi passed away after a brief illness; by then, Fugazi Bank also had branches in Oakland and Santa Barbera. In 1928, Giannini decided to put his banks into a holding company - the Transamerica Corporation; one was the newly acquired Fugazi Bank. Banking continued in this building until 1931; it became the headquarters of Transamerica in 1938.In 1930 the company acquired Occidental Life Insurance Company, which had been founded in 1906, and renamed it Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Company. Over time, the company became more diversified and included film studios, airlines. and even a budget rent a car. By the time Giannini died in 1949 at age 79, he was chairman of both Transamerica and Bank of America, which had grown to over 500 branches. In 1972 the company completed construction of the Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper which became the new headquarters for the company.

Constructed in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, the Fugazi Bank Building is designed in the classical revival style and faced with terracotta. The 1909 building was originally three stories high with a cupola atop the corner point, but the cupola was removed sometime after 1924. The Transamerica Corporation was founded in 1928 by A.P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) and a former director of Fugazi Bank. Giannini used the Fugazi Bank Building as a headquarters for his financial services companies beginning in 1938, with the building taking on the name of the company. In 1972 the firm completed construction of the Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper on the block to the southeast, which became the new headquarters for the company. Today the Old Transamerica Building is occupied by the Church of Scientology, who restored the building in 2003. The building is a San Francisco Designated Landmark (1973) and part of the National Register-listed Jackson Square Historic District (1971).

Old Transamerica Building (old Fugazi Bank Building)

Melvin Belli was a renowned lawyer who gained the nickname the King of Torts after many successful&nbsp;litigations including some now notorious cases. He represented Sirhan Sirhan after the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and Jack Ruby who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald.&nbsp;Other clients included Errol Flynn, Ferdinand Marcos, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, the Rolling Stones, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha Mitchell, Lana Turner, Tony Curtis, and Mae West.In 1989 the Belli Building, as well as the adjacent Genella Building, were vacated after becoming structurally damaged by the Loma Prieta Earthquake and were left vacant for over twenty-five years. Both buildings were eventually gutted and rebuilt as apartments. Only the façades were saved.The old Belli Building reopened in 2015 as the "Landmark 9" residences.&nbsp;

The Belli Building was originally built in 1849 or 1850 but was destroyed by fire in 1851. The building was immediately rebuilt, using the old walls and foundations, which were themselves built upon the original raft of planks in the mud of what was then Yerba Buena Cove. It was first known as Langerman's Tobacco and Cigar Warehouse before becoming the Melodeon Theatre. In the early 1870s the building housed a Turkish bath and in the 1880s it housed a medical establishment based around hydrotherapy. From the 1920s onward it was used as a paper warehouse and also as a garment factory. Melvin Belli acquired the building in 1959 and converted it into law offices for his firm. 

Belli Building (Langerman's Building)

There is a plaque on the Genella Building certifying that San Francisco's first Masonic Lodge meeting was held here. Starting in 1854 the top floor of the building was used as a meeting hall for the Odd Fellows, an international fraternity founded in 1730 in London. The building saw similar use over the next few decades with both the Ancient Jewish Order KSB and the American Protestant Association holding lodge meetings here.&nbsp;By the 1880s the building was a bath house before becoming a puppet theater in the 1920s. In the 1940s it became a garment factory, before being turned into offices in the 1950s. The building was damaged in the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989 and was left vacant for 25 years. The building was rebuilt with the original facade still intact and is now used as apartments.

Built in 1849, the foundation of this three-story brick building was constructed of the same heavy timbers as is its neighbor the Belli Building. The original building burned down only a year after its construction and was rebuilt by Joseph Genella for his china and glassware business as well as his home. By 1860 Genella had moved but retained ownership of the building, renting it to multiple tenants including bullion dealers, merchandise brokers, a Spanish newspaper (La Voz de Chile), and  offices for a mining company.

Genella Building 

<div>The building's construction in 1854 was overseen by future Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. The building was impressive at the time, but only three years after moving in, the fledgling bank was bankrupt.&nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>Tenants came and went over the years and in 1906, Eiffel Tower, a French restaurant, occupied the ground floor with a lodging above. That same year the Great Earthquake struck the city, damaging the third floor so badly that it had to be removed. Despite this the restaurant stayed open until 1924.&nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>A sausage factory shared part of the ground floor in the 1920s, before becoming a Chinese soy sauce factory. In the 1950s, with the revival of Jackson Square, the building was converted for use by decorators.&nbsp;The building now houses one of the finest Architectural Book Stores one can encounter, William Stout Books.&nbsp; The plaque reads:&nbsp; "William Tecumseh Sherman established the branch bank of Lucas, Turner &amp; Co. in San Francisco in 1853. He settled the firm in their own building on the northeast corner of Jackson and Montgomery Streets in the spring of 1854. Sherman successfully carried the bank through the financial crisis of 1855, and remained until it discontinued business in 1857. Tablet placed by California Centennials Commission with the cooperation of the Society of California Pioneers. Dedicated January 17, 1950." </div><div> </div>

Built in 1854 the Bank of Lucas, Turner & Company was located at 800-804 Montgomery in Jackson Square, San Francisco. Designed by Reuben Clark in the Italianate style typical of early San Francisco, the classical building faces Montgomery Street, which was the city's main commercial street at the time. The ground floor is built from well cut and fitted granite blocks. The granite is not from California- some claim that the granite was imported from China while others claim that it arrived from the eastern United States. Originally three stories high, the building cost $53,000 to construct- a large sum for the day.

Bank of Lucas, Turner & Co.

The Solari Building was constructed in 1852 by prominent merchant and leader of San Francisco's Italian colony, Nicholas Larco, who occupied the building himself for 25 years.During the middle of the 1850s Larco was the chairman of the Sardinian Committee to celebrate the Allied victories over Russia at Sebastopol during the Crimean War. In 1863, he was president of the Italian Benevolent Society, which had its offices here at varying times during the 1860s.The consulates of three nations have been housed at this location. In 1856 Larco for consul Chile, and at the same time Camilo Martin, consul for Spain, and De Gazette, consul for France, used the building and offices.&nbsp;Grellet and Company, French importers of wines and liquors, occupied the building in the late 1850s. In 1869, liquor merchants Favre and Joussaud moved into the building and remained there until 1878.&nbsp;Occupancy of the building after 1905 is not well documented.

One of the oldest buildings in the city, this structure was built in 1852 by Nicholas Larco, a prominent member of the city's early Italian community. The building also held a store that offered fine imported wine--a popular item for many of the wealthy residents of the city. The building served as the headquarters of the Italian Benevolent Society, a fraternal organization for Italian immigrants that provided a space for social interaction, cultural preservation, and economic assistance for newcomers and widows of members. The building later became the headquarters of La Parola, an Italian weekly newspaper. At various times in the 19th century, the foreign consulates for Chile, Spain, and France were all headquartered in this building. The famous chocolate maker Domingo Ghirardelli also used the building for several years before starting his own factory across the street in 1853.

Solari Building

In its day, A. P. Hotaling’s warehouse was the West Coast’s largest whiskey repository. When the building caught fire. In the earthquake of 1906, the building caught fire, although it was saved by some quick-thinking firefighters. The next day the Army arrived to help in the devastation, but they intended to destroy the entire building in order to protect a government building next door. Because of the huge amounts of flammable alcohol on the premises, it was decided that the whiskey should be moved and the whole block should be saved.

The Hotaling building was one of the lucky ones. Due to a huge effort, sea water was pumped through huge hoses, stretching some eleven blocks, ultimately allowing the Hotaling fires to be put out. Sadly this was a rare case as much of the city was destroyed, some estimated say up to 28,000 buildings were destroyed.&nbsp;

Local poet, Charles Field described the disaster with a piece of wit that now decorates the plaque marking the site:

If, as they say, God spanked the town / For being over-frisky, / Why did He burn His churches down / And spare Hotaling’s whiskey?

The Hotaling Building is a historic building in San Francisco located at 451 Jackson Street in Jackson Square. Built in 1866 by Anson Parsons Hotaling the building was originally intended to be a hotel. However, Hotaling later switched over to  the whiskey business. It was also one of the few surviving buildings after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, thanks to a mile long fire hose that stretched through Fisherman's Wharf and Telegraph Hill. After the earthquake and fire, the Hotaling business started to decline. However, it was revived in 1952 when Henry Lawrence and his wife purchased it and turned it into a wholesale decoration and design firm.

Hotaling Building

Domingo Ghirardelli arrived in San Francisco in 1849, selling candy and provisions to miners during the Gold Rush. In 1853, he opened a small chocolate factory on the ground floor of this building and lived with his family on the second floor. He retired in 1892 and the following year, his company acquired the Pioneer Woolen Building. This second building was much larger, allowing Ghirardelli's sons to build a substantial empire. That building is now part of Ghirardelli Square. Although the company no longer makes chocolate in the square, production is now based in San Leandro, it&nbsp;is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features a retail outlet. Meanwhile, the story of this historic building,one of the oldest in the city, is largely unknown even to longtime residents of San Francisco.&nbsp;

Ghirardelli's Chocolate Factory was originally built in 1850 on the corner of Broadway and Battery, but burned down in a fire a year later. By 1853 Ghiradelli was able to reopen the Chocolate Factory at this location, on the corner of Jackson and Mason Streets. The company diversified from chocolate and began to sell coffee and spices in the US, China, Japan, and Mexico. Ghiradelli retired in 1892 and his three sons took control of the business. 

Ghirardelli's Chocolate Factory, 1853-1893

James Sloan Hutchinson, a banker, witnessed an incident involving cruelty towards an animal while walking down the street in San Francisco during the spring of 1868. Two men were dragging a live hog to market, while the animal's body was being scraped against the cobblestones during transit. Alarmed and horrified, Hutchinson stepped in to stop the mistreatment of the animal. Following this incident, Hutchinson rallied the support of fifteen other concerned citizens, and he led them in founding the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF SPCA) in 1868. Upon its inception, the SF SPCA became the fourth humane organization in the United States. It was also the first humane organization west of the Mississippi River. The same year, in 1868, the government of California also passed a law criminalizing cruelty to animals. In 1884, the SF SPCA designed and constructed a groundbreaking new method of medical transport by creating a horse-pulled ambulance. It was the first of its kind in the western United States. This new method of medical transport came to the rescue of six disabled horses within its first year in operation. In 1906, a devastating earthquake, followed by subsequent fires, ravaged the city of San Francisco. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the SF SPCA rescued many of the animals that were trapped, hurt, or abandoned amidst the city-wide chaos and devastation. In 1918, the SF SPCA established a retirement ranch for horses who were being retired from active service with the San Francisco Fire Department. All city horses concluding their active service became eligible to receive institutional care provided by the SF SPCA. In 1924, the SF SPCA opened its first public animal hospital. By 1968, the same year that the SF SPCA received a historical marker to commemorate its 100th Anniversary, the institution also opened one of the most modern and advanced animal hospitals in the world. Today, the SF SPCA remains a national leader in saving homeless dogs and cats and in ending animal abandonment.

James Sloan Hutchinson founded the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF SPCA) in 1868, after witnessing an act of animal cruelty on the streets of downtown San Francisco. To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the institution's establishment, a historical marker was placed at the intersection of Clay Street and Leidesdorff Street. The marker was given by the American Humane Association in conjunction with the California Historical Society and the Wells Fargo Bank on October 30, 1968. The marker can be located by crossing the street directly south from the Transamerica Pyramid. It is mounted on a building on Clay Street at the intersection with Leidesdorff Street.

San Francisco Financial District Walking Tour

Bank of California

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information