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Montgomery Street

{{Short description|Street in San Francisco, United States}}

{{about|the street in San Francisco}}

{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}

{{Infobox street

| name = Montgomery Street

| native_name =

| image = Montgomery Street from Telegraph Hill, San Francisco.jpg

| caption =Looking south down Montgomery Street from Telegraph Hill through the Financial District

| former_names =

| namesake = John B. Montgomery

| postal_code =

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| length_mi =1.0

|direction_a= North

|terminus_a= Telegraph Hill

|direction_b= South

|terminus_b= Market Street

| width =

| location = San Francisco

| client =

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| coordinates = {{Coord|37|47|43|N|122|24|11|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark_dim:1500|display=inline}}

| commissioning_date =

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Montgomery Street is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, in the United States.

It runs about 16 blocks from the residential Telegraph Hill neighborhood south through downtown, terminating at Market Street. South of Columbus Avenue, Montgomery Street runs through the heart of San Francisco's Financial District and contains one of the highest concentrations of financial activity, investment business, and venture capital in the United States and the world. For this reason, it is known as "the Wall Street of the West".{{Cite web|url=http://www.streetcar.org/f-line.html|title=F-Market & Wharves Streetcar Line – Market Street Railway|access-date=July 31, 2010}}{{cite book|last=Prentice|first=Carol S.|title=1906 San Francisco earthquake centennial field guides|year=2006|publisher=Geological Society of America|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CwchZE54dWYC&pg=PA17 |access-date=July 31, 2010|page=17|chapter=Walk 3:Montgomery Street to Jackson Square|isbn=9780813700076}} South of Market Street, the street continues as New Montgomery Street for two more blocks to terminate at Howard Street in the SOMA district. On Telegraph Hill, the street's main section ends near Julius' Castle, with a separate segment resuming one block to the north, running from Lombard Street to Francisco Street.

History

Image:Montgomerystreetsf.jpg. In the foreground is the flagship branch of Wells Fargo Bank.]]

In the 1830s, the land which is now Montgomery Street lay at the edge of San Francisco Bay.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/early.html|title=San Francisco – Before the Gold Rush – 1847|access-date=July 31, 2010}}{{Cite web |title=Office of Historic Preservation: San Francisco |url=http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=21482 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107033620/http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21482 |archive-date=2020-11-07 |access-date=July 31, 2010}} In Days of the Dons, Steven Richardson recalled watching "good-sized" fishes and "bears, wolves, and coyotes quarreling over their prey along what is now Montgomery Street".{{Cite web |last=Carlsson |first=Chris |title=From Fish-Choked Mudflat to the Pyramid |url=https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=From_Fish-Choked_Mudflat_to_the_Pyramid |access-date=2024-12-28 |website=www.foundsf.org}}

Intense land speculation during the Gold Rush created a demand for more usable land in the rapidly growing city, and sandy bluffs near the waterfront were leveled and the shallows filled with sand (and the ruins of many ships) to make new building lots. Between 1849 and 1852, the waterfront advanced about four blocks.City of San Francisco and its Vicinity California (Map, 1853) At present, Montgomery Street is about seven blocks from the water.

File:Montgomery_Street,_1849.jpg

File:Montgomery_Street_1857.jpg

The corner of Montgomery and Clay is where John B. Montgomery landed when he came to hoist the U.S. flag after the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846.{{Cn|date=January 2025}} The Admission Day Monument at the intersection of Montgomery Street and Market Street commemorates California Admission Day (September 9, 1850), the date on which the state became part of the Union, following the Mexican–American War of 1848.{{Cite web |last=Kaprielian |first=Ulla |title=Douglas Tilden |url=http://www.sfcityguides.org/public_guidelines.html?article=345&submitted=TRUE&srch_text=&submitted2=&topic=The%20Arts |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919114823/http://www.sfcityguides.org/public_guidelines.html?article=345&submitted=TRUE&srch_text=&submitted2=&topic=The%20Arts |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |accessdate=July 2, 2017 |work=Guidelines |publisher=San Francisco City Guides}}

In 1853 the Montgomery Block, a center of early San Francisco law and literature, was built at 600 Montgomery, on land currently occupied by the Transamerica Pyramid.

Offices

Image:Historic American Buildings Survey A. J. Wittlock, Photographer March 1940 TELEGRAPH HILL AND MONTGOMERY STREET HOUSES - Telegraph Hill (House), 1301 Montgomery Street, San HABS CAL,38-SANFRA,126-1.tif

Many banks and financial-services companies have had offices in the buildings on or near Montgomery Street, especially between Market Street and Sacramento Street:

  • The world headquarters of Wells Fargo are at 420 Montgomery.{{Cite web|url=http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=7376060-1063-6229&type=sect&dcn=0001193125-10-167482|access-date=July 31, 2010|title=EDGAR Online: Wells Fargo & Co/MN (WFC) – 8-K – 7/27/2010}}
  • 555 California Street, between Kearny and Montgomery, served as Bank of America's world headquarters prior to its merger with NationsBank and was (from 1969 to 2005) officially called the Bank of America Building.{{Cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=118721|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220030557/http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=118721|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 20, 2011|title=555 California St., San Francisco, CA|access-date=July 31, 2010}}
  • The Transamerica Pyramid (600 Montgomery, at Columbus Avenue) was the headquarters of Transamerica Corporation and still appears in the company's logo.{{Cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=118715|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220025132/http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=118715|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 20, 2011|title=Transamerica Pyramid|access-date=July 31, 2010}}
  • Melvin Belli, lawyer known as "The King of Torts", had his offices at the Belli Building at 722-724 Montgomery St.{{cite web |url= http://www.coastnews.com/sf/belli.htm|title= When Renovation Meets Litigation -- And the Trash Piles Up|author= Crovo, Lisa|publisher= San Francisco Coastnews|access-date= 12 September 2013}} Belli used to raise a Jolly Roger and fire a cannon every time he won a case.{{cite web |url= http://www.sfweekly.com/2000-04-12/news/battle-belli/|title= Battle Belli|author= Davis, Lisa|date= 12 April 2000|publisher= San Francisco Weekly|access-date= 12 September 2013}}
  • Bank of the West is headquartered at 180 Montgomery Street.
  • {{Ill|HKETO#Overseas|lt=Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco|ko|%EC%A3%BC%EC%83%8C%ED%94%84%EB%9E%80%EC%8B%9C%EC%8A%A4%EC%BD%94_%ED%99%8D%EC%BD%A9_%EA%B2%BD%EC%A0%9C%EB%AC%B4%EC%97%AD%EB%8C%80%ED%91%9C%EB%B6%80}}, at 130 Montgomery Street.

High-rises and other notable buildings

High-rises and other notable buildings along Montgomery Street in the Financial District:

A building bearing the name of One Montgomery Tower is located one block away from Montgomery Street at the intersection of Post and Kearny streets, behind the Wells Fargo flagship branch and Crocker Galleria.

Public transit

Montgomery Street is served by the BART and Muni Metro Montgomery Street Station.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bart.gov/stations/mont/index.aspx|access-date=July 31, 2010|title=BART – Montgomery St.}}

See also

{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}

References

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{{Attached KML |display=title,inline}}

{{Commons category|Montgomery Street (San Francisco)}}

{{Financial District, San Francisco}}

{{Streets in San Francisco}}

Category:Financial districts in the United States

Category:Streets in San Francisco

Category:Economy of San Francisco

Category:Financial District, San Francisco

Category:Chinatown, San Francisco