Transamerica Pyramid

Transamerica Pyramid
Location within central San Francisco
Record height
Preceded by	Bank of America Center
Surpassed by	Salesforce Tower (2017)
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Commercial offices
Location	600 Montgomery Street San Francisco, California
Coordinates	37°47′43″N 122°24′10″W / 37.7952°N 122.4028°W / 37.7952; -122.4028Coordinates: 37°47′43″N 122°24′10″W / 37.7952°N 122.4028°W / 37.7952; -122.4028
Construction started	December 1969
Completed	1972
Cost	US$32,000,000
Owner	Transamerica Corporation
Management	Cushman & Wakefield
Height
Roof	853 ft (260 m)
Top floor	695 ft (212 m)
Technical details
Floor count	48
Floor area	530,000 sq ft (49,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators	18
Design and construction
Architect	William L. Pereira & Harry D. Som
Structural engineer	Chin & Hensolt, Inc. Glumac International Simonson & Simonson
Main contractor	Dinwiddie Construction Co.
References
[1][2][3][4]

The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline. The building no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, which moved its U.S. headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland, but it is still associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. Designed by architect William Pereira and built by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, at 853 ft (260 m), on completion in 1972 it was the eighth tallest building in the world.^[5]

History

The Transamerica building was commissioned by Transamerica CEO John (Jack) R. Beckett, with the claim that he wished to allow light in the street below. Built on the site of the historic Montgomery Block, it has a structural height of 853 ft (260 m) and has 48 floors of retail and office space.

Construction began in 1969 and finished in 1972, and was overseen by San Francisco-based contractor Dinwiddie Construction (now Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company). Transamerica moved its headquarters to the new building from across the street, where it had been based in a flatiron-shaped building now occupied by the Church of Scientology of San Francisco.^[6]

Although the tower is no longer Transamerica Corporation headquarters, it is still associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. The building is evocative of San Francisco and has become one of the many symbols of the city.^[7] Designed by architect William Pereira, it faced opposition during planning and construction and was sometimes referred to by detractors as "Pereira's Prick".^[8] John King of the San 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."^[9]

The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper west of Chicago from 1972 to 1974 surpassing the then Bank of America Center. It was surpassed by the Aon Center in Los Angeles.

The building is thought to have been the intended target of a foiled terrorist attack, involving the hijacking of airplanes as part of the Bojinka plot, which was foiled in 1995.^[10]

In 1999, Transamerica was acquired by Dutch insurance company Aegon. When the non-insurance operations of Transamerica were later sold to GE Capital, Aegon retained the building as an investment.^[7]

The Transamerica Pyramid has been the tallest skyscraper in San Francisco since 1972, but is expected to be surpassed by the under-construction Salesforce Tower in late 2016.^[11]

Design

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.^[12] The top 212 feet (65 m) of the building is the spire. There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming a virtual observation deck. Four monitors in the lobby, whose direction and zoom can be controlled by visitors, display the cameras' views 24 hours a day. An observation deck on the 27th floor was closed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and replaced by the virtual observation deck.

The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. During the Christmas holiday season, and on Independence Day and the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, a brightly twinkling beacon called the "Crown Jewel" is lit at the top of the pyramid.^[12]

Specifications

• The building's façade is covered in crushed quartz, giving the building its light color.
• The four-story base contains 16,000 cu yd (12,000 m³) of concrete and over 300 mi (480 km) of steel rebar.
• It has 3,678 windows.
• The building's foundation is 9 feet (2.7 m) thick, the result of a 3 day, 24-hour continuous concrete pour. Several thousand dollars in quarters and change were thrown into the pit by observers surrounding the site at street level during the pouring, for good luck.
• Only two of the building's 18 elevators reach the top floor.
• The original proposal was for a 1,150 ft (350 m) building, which for a year would have been the second-tallest completed building in the world. The proposal was rejected by the city planning commission, saying it would interfere with views of San Francisco Bay from Nob Hill.^[5]
• The building is on the site that was the temporary home of A.P. Giannini's Bank of Italy after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed its office. Giannini founded Transamerica in 1928 as a holding company for his financial empire. Bank of Italy later became Bank of America.
• There is a plaque commemorating two famous dogs, Bummer and Lazarus, at the base of the building.
• The hull of the whaling vessel Niantic, an artifact of the 1849 California Gold Rush, lay almost beneath the Transamerica Pyramid, and the location is marked by a historical plaque outside the building (California Historical Landmark #88).
• The aluminum cap is indirectly illuminated from within to balance the appearance at night.
• The two wings increase interior space at the upper levels. One extension is the top of elevator shafts while the other is a smoke evacuation tower for fire-fighting.^[13]
• A glass pyramid cap sits at the top and encloses red aircraft warning light and the brighter seasonal beacon.

Comparison of approximate profiles of the Transamerica Pyramid with some notable pyramidal or near-pyramidal buildings. Dotted lines indicate original heights, where data are available. In its SVG file, hover over a pyramid to highlight and click for its article.

Tenants

• ATEL Capital Group^[14]
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch^[15]
• Incapture Group^[16]
• TSG Consumer Partners
• Rembrandt Venture Partners
• URS Corporation
• Maynard, Cooper & Gale

See also

• List of tallest buildings in San Francisco
• 49-Mile Scenic Drive
• List of tallest buildings in the world

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Transamerica Pyramid.

• Official website
• About the Pyramid at Transamerica Corporation
• Transamerica Pyramid at PropertyShark