Central Tower (San Francisco) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Central Tower |
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| Former names | Call Building Spreckels Building |
| Record height | |
| Preceded by | Chronicle Building |
| Surpassed by | Standard Oil Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 703 Market Street San Francisco, California |
| Coordinates | 37°47′14″N 122°24′14″W / 37.787181°N 122.403861°W |
| Completed | 1898 1938 (art deco/art moderne renovations) |
| Owner | RKI 703 Investors LLC |
| Height | |
| Roof | 91 m (299 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 21 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Reid & Reid Albert Roller (renovations) |
The Central Tower is a tall building in San Francisco, California. It stands 91 meters (about 298 feet) high and has 21 floors. You can find it at the corner of Market and Third Streets. This building was first finished in 1898 and was called the Call Building. Later, it was known as the Spreckels Building. It has been updated many times over the years.
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Contents
History of the Central Tower
Building San Francisco's First Skyscraper
In 1890, a man named M. H. de Young owned a newspaper called the San Francisco Chronicle. He built San Francisco's very first skyscraper, which was 66 meters (218 feet) tall. This building was called the Chronicle Building. He wanted it to be the home for his newspaper.
A New, Taller Building is Planned
Not long after, in 1895, John D. Spreckels and his father Claus Spreckels bought another newspaper, The San Francisco Call. They wanted to build an even taller tower. Their goal was to make a building that would be much bigger than the Chronicle Building.
In September 1895, The Call newspaper wrote about their big plans. They said their new building would be the best ever for a newspaper office. It would be built at Market and Third streets. They planned for it to be 15 stories tall and 94 meters (310 feet) high. This would make it the tallest building west of Chicago at the time. They also said it would be a beautiful building, made of granite and white marble.
Construction and Early Years
The building was finished in 1898. It ended up being 96 meters (315 feet) tall. It had a fancy, round top called a baroque dome. The architects, Reid & Reid, even had their offices inside this dome. There were also four small, decorative towers called cupolas on each corner of the building. For many years, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.
The 1906 Earthquake and Changes
In 1906, a big earthquake hit San Francisco. The Call Building was badly burned and damaged by the fires that followed. However, the building itself did not fall down.
After the fire, The Call newspaper moved its offices to a new place. The old Call Building then became known as the Spreckels Building. In 1938, a new architect named Albert Roller completely updated the Central Tower. The building's height was made a bit shorter, to 91 meters (298 feet). The number of floors was increased from 15 to 21. The fancy dome and the small corner towers were removed during this renovation.
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The Call Building from Kearny Street in 1905, with Lotta's Fountain nearby.
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The Call Building on fire after the 1906 earthquake.
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What the building looked like after the fire.
See also
In Spanish: Central Tower (San Francisco) para niños
