Southern Pacific Building facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Southern Pacific Building
The Market street facade of One Market Plaza
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	1 Market Street San Francisco, California United States
Coordinates	37°47′38″N 122°23′42″W / 37.79396°N 122.39496°W / 37.79396; -122.39496
Completed	1917
Cost	US$1.5 million
Owner	Morgan Stanley Real Estate Paramount Group, Inc.
Height
Roof	65 m (213 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	12
Floor area	420,000 sq ft (39,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect	Walter Danforth Bliss William Baker Faville
Structural engineer	Tipping Mar + Associates (1999 retrofit)

The Southern Pacific Building is a historic office building in San Francisco, California. It's one of three main buildings that make up a large office complex called One Market Plaza. This tall, 11-story building is also known as "The Landmark." It stands about 65 meters (213 feet) high and was started in 1916. It's located right along the Embarcadero, a famous waterfront area in San Francisco.

A Look Back: The Building's Story

The Southern Pacific Building became the main office, or "headquarters," for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1917. This was ten years after they had moved into another building called the Flood Building.

When the building was finished, the first floor had shops. The part facing the back courtyard was for Southern Pacific's own use. They rented out the second floor to another business. Southern Pacific used floors three through ten for their many different offices. For many years, a big sign with a fancy "S·P" sat on top of the building.

Later, in 1976, this building became part of a bigger project called One Market Plaza. This project also includes two other tall buildings, Spear Tower and Steuart Tower. By 1995, a person named Sam Zell owned One Market Plaza. However, the Union Pacific Railroad still owned the Southern Pacific Building itself. In 1998, they sold it for $50 million to The Martin Group (TMG).

Building Design: How It Was Built

When it was completed, One Market Street was famous for being the tallest building west of the Mississippi River that used a steel frame. The building is shaped like the capital letter "E" if you look at it from above. The longest side, which is 275 feet (about 84 meters) long, faces Market Street. The parts that stick out on Spear and Steuart Streets are each 210 feet (about 64 meters) long. The middle part of the "E" shape holds the elevators.

The building's style is called Italian Renaissance. This means it looks like old Italian buildings. It has special details made from Roman brick and terra cotta, which is a type of baked clay. The main entrance area, called the lobby, had walls made of beautiful Colorado yule marble. The ceiling also had fancy plaster decorations.

In 1998 and 1999, the building was updated. Two of the original eight passenger elevators were removed. New, custom-sized elevator cars were put into the other six shafts. These new elevators still ran on the old guide rails. The elevators had already been updated in 1956. That's when they changed from needing people to operate them to working automatically.

Gallery

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  Soon after completion in 1917

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  In 2013, with Spear and Steuart Towers rising in the background

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  The "S·P" sign from The Embarcadero (1956)

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  Rear courtyard opening on Mission (1917)

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  Cross-section drawing (parallel to Spear/Steuart)

Who Works Here: Tenants

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