Columbus Tower (San Francisco) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Columbus Tower |
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A view of Columbus Tower
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| Alternative names | Sentinel Building Flatiron Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Mixed-used |
| Location | 916 Kearny Street San Francisco, California |
| Coordinates | 37°47′47″N 122°24′18″W / 37.7964°N 122.4049°W |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Owner | Albert & Connie Der Family Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Floor area | 22,700 sq ft (2,110 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Salfield & Kohlberg |
| Developer | Abe Ruef |
| Designated: | 1970 |
| Reference #: | 33 |
The Columbus Tower, also known as the Sentinel Building, is a cool building in San Francisco, California. It was finished in 1907. This unique building has a special copper-green color and a "Flatiron" shape, which means it looks like a clothes iron because it's built on a triangular piece of land.
It sits where three streets meet: Columbus Avenue, Kearny Street, and Jackson Street. This spot is right where the North Beach, Chinatown, and Financial District areas of the city come together. A big part of the building is used by the film studio American Zoetrope. There's also a cafe on the ground floor named after the company. The Sentinel Building is a special San Francisco Designated Landmark called No. 33.
Contents
Building History
Early Days and the Big Earthquake
Work on the Columbus Tower started before the huge 1906 San Francisco earthquake happened. The earthquake caused a lot of damage to the building site and all over the city. This made the construction take much longer than expected. Even for a smaller building like this one, it took over a year to finish, which was a bit unusual back then.
The top floor of the building was first used as the main office for Abe Ruef, who was a local political figure at that time.
The Famous hungry i Club
Around 1949 or 1950, a famous nightclub called the hungry i opened in the basement of the Sentinel Building. It started as a small place with 83 seats. This club became very important for the history of stand-up comedy in the United States.
A person named Eric Nord first opened it, then sold it to Enrico Banducci in 1951. At first, Banducci had folk singers perform there. But in 1953, he started hiring comedians like Mort Sahl. He encouraged them to share their ideas freely. The club became so popular that people would line up around the block to get in! Because it was so successful, Banducci moved the hungry i to a bigger place nearby in 1954.
New Owners and Music Stars
By 1958, the Sentinel Building was getting old and needed a lot of repairs. It was even thought that it might be torn down. But then, an investor from the Netherlands named Rob Moor and his wife Nella bought it. They fixed it up, gave it a new name, "Columbus Tower," and sold it about a year and a half later.
The new owners were a famous music group called The Kingston Trio. They used the building as their main office during the 1960s. They even built a recording studio in the basement! They recorded their own music there and let many other artists use it too, including the band We Five.
The Film Studio Era
Later, The Kingston Trio sold the building to the well-known film director Francis Ford Coppola. He also renovated the building and changed its name back to the Sentinel Building. In 1972, American Zoetrope, the film studio he started with George Lucas, moved into the building. The studio is still there today.
Who Works There Now?
Most of the Columbus Tower is now home to Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film studio.
Other creative companies also have offices there. These include independent producers who make shows for NPR and PBS. There are also sound designers who work on movies for companies like Pixar and Skywalker Sound.
On the ground floor, you'll find Cafe Zoetrope. This cafe has been part of the building since 1999. It's a cozy restaurant and wine shop that is connected to the Inglenook Estate Winery in the famous Napa Valley.
Gallery
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Side of Columbus Tower
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Columbus Tower with the tall Transamerica Pyramid in the background
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The entrance to Cafe Zoetrope on the ground floor
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The awning and movie posters for Apocalypse Now and Lost in Translation at Cafe Zoetrope
