Southern Pacific Building
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Southern Pacific Building
| image = San Francisco - Southern Pacific Building 01.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = The Market street facade of One Market Plaza
| location = 1 Market Street
San Francisco, California
United States
| coordinates = {{coord|37.79396|-122.39496|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = United States San Francisco Central#California#USA
| completion_date = 1917
| building_type = Commercial offices
| antenna_spire =
| roof = {{convert|65|m|abbr=on}}
| floor_count = 12
| elevator_count =
| cost = {{US$|1.5 million}}
| floor_area = {{convert|420000|sqft|abbr=on}}
| architect = Walter Danforth Bliss
William Baker Faville
| structural_engineer = Tipping Mar + Associates (1999 retrofit)
| main_contractor =
| developer =
| owner = Morgan Stanley Real Estate
Paramount Group, Inc.
| management =
}}
The Southern Pacific Building is one of three office buildings comprising One Market Plaza along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. The historic E-shaped 11-story, {{convert|65|m|adj=on}} building, also known as "The Landmark", was started in 1916{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19160520.2.677 |title=S.P. Will Build S.F. Skyscraper |author= |date=May 20, 1916 |newspaper=Los Angeles Herald |access-date=February 26, 2017}} and completed in 1917.{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=MVR19170721.2.28 |title=Southern Pacific Building Nears Completion |author= |date=July 21, 1917 |newspaper=Mill Valley Record |access-date=February 26, 2017}}{{cite book |author=Hofsommer, Don L.|title=The Southern Pacific, 1981–1985 |location=College Station |publisher=Texas A & M University Press |year=1986 |isbn=978-1-60344-127-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/southernpacific10000hofs/page/100/mode/2up |page=[https://archive.org/details/southernpacific10000hofs/page/70/mode/2up?q=70 70]}}
History
The building served as the headquarters for the Southern Pacific Railroad after it relocated from the Flood Building in 1917, ten years after SP had moved into the Flood Building. At its completion, the building's first floor was devoted to retail except for the portion facing the rear courtyard (opening to Mission Street), which was reserved for Southern Pacific. SP rented the second floor to a tenant, but occupied floors three through ten with various offices. For many years, the building was topped with a large sign emblazoned with a gothic "S·P".{{cite web |url=http://blog.sfgate.com/johnking/2014/05/30/readers-weigh-in-s-f-s-lost-architectural-landmarks/#photo-465017 |title=Readers weigh in: S.F.'s lost architectural landmarks |last1=King |first1=John |date=May 30, 2014 |website=SFGate [blog]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416025323/http://blog.sfgate.com/johnking/2014/05/30/readers-weigh-in-s-f-s-lost-architectural-landmarks/#photo-465017|archive-date=2016-04-16 |access-date=February 26, 2017}}
It was later incorporated into the 1976 One Market Plaza development which includes Spear Tower and Steuart Tower. By 1995, Sam Zell owned One Market Plaza.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/An-investment-in-eye-candy-3149066.php |title=An investment in eye candy |last1=Adams |first1=Gerald D. |date=April 3, 1995 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |access-date=February 26, 2017}} However, Union Pacific Railroad was still the owner of One Market Street until the building was sold for {{US$|50000000|1998}} to The Martin Group (TMG) in 1998.{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/1998/02/16/story3.html |title=One Market bagged for $50 million |author= |date=February 15, 1998 |newspaper=San Francisco Business Times |access-date=February 26, 2017}}{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-martin-group-is-bullish-on-san-francisco-77435227.html |title=The Martin Group is Bullish on San Francisco: The Martin Group Acquires Waterfront Historic One Market Street Building |author= |date=April 15, 1998 |publisher=PRNewswire |access-date=February 26, 2017}} TMG invested another $50 million to renovate the property, including a seismic retrofit, completing work in 1999.{{cite web |url=http://www.tippingstructural.com/projects/project_details/6 |title=The Landmark at One Market Street |author= |date=2014 |website=Tipping Structural Engineers |access-date=February 26, 2017}} Equity Office Properties Trust sold One Market Street to The Blackstone Group in February 2007, and Blackstone, in turn, sold One Market to Morgan Stanley in June 2007 as part of a large real estate acquisition.{{cite news |url=http://www.costar.com/News/Article/Morgan-Stanley-Grabs-Equitys-San-Francisco-Assets/87200 |title=Morgan Stanley Grabs Equity's San Francisco Assets |last1=Drummer |first1=Randyl |date=February 26, 2007 |newspaper=CoStar News |access-date=February 26, 2017}}{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/A-partial-payment-of-taxes-Blackstone-Group-2585768.php |title=A partial payment of taxes / Blackstone Group spent billions for S.F. buildings but disputes city's levy |author=Hollis, Robert |date=June 19, 2007 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=February 26, 2017}} Morgan Stanley sold approximately half of One Market Plaza to The Paramount Group in July 2007.{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/07/02/daily16.html |title=Paramount Group buys half interest in One Market Plaza |last1=Dineen |first1=J.K. |date=July 3, 2007 |newspaper=San Francisco Business Times |access-date=February 26, 2017}} One Market Plaza was owned jointly by Morgan Stanley (49% share) and The Paramount Group (51% share) until Morgan Stanley sold its share to Blackstone Real Estate Partners in 2014 for {{US$|600000000|2014}}.{{cite news |url=http://news.theregistrysf.com/blackstone-pays-600mm-buy-one-market-plaza-san-francisco/ |title=Blackstone Pays $600MM to Buy One Market Plaza in San Francisco |author= |date=July 3, 2014 |newspaper=The Registry SF |access-date=February 26, 2017}}
Design
When completed, One Market Street was hailed as the tallest steel-framed structure west of the Mississippi.{{cite web |url=https://www.bdcnetwork.com/floor-please |title=Floor, please? |last1=Wagner |first1=Karen L. |date=June 1, 2001 |website=Building Design+Construction |access-date=February 26, 2017}} The building is planned in the form of the capital letter "E", with the longest side, {{convert|275|ft|abbr=on}} long, along Market Street. The wings on Spear and Steuart Streets are each {{convert|210|ft|abbr=on}} long, and the central arm is occupied by elevators.{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p7saAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA10-PA61 |title=The Southern Pacific General Office Building |last1=Jennings | first1=Frederick |date=November 1917 |journal=The Architect & Engineer of California |volume=LI |number=2 |pages=60–70 |access-date=February 26, 2017}} It is designed in the Italian Renaissance style with details executed in Roman brick and terra cotta. The lobby was fitted with Colorado yule marble walls and an ornamental plaster ceiling.
During the 1998–99 refurbishment, two of the eight original passenger elevators were eliminated and custom-sized modern elevator cabs were installed in the other six shafts, running on the original guide rails. The elevators had received a major redesign in 1956, when elevator operators were eliminated by automatic operation.
Gallery
File:A&E vol LI no 2 pg 60-2.jpg|Soon after completion in 1917
File:Southern Pacific Building, San Francisco 2023-07-18.jpg|In 2023, seen from the end of Market Street
File:The Embarcadero (1956) (5302805044).jpg|The "S·P" sign from The Embarcadero (1956)
File:A&E vol LI no 2 pg 61-1.jpg|Rear courtyard opening on Mission (1917)
File:A&E vol LI no 2 pg 66-2.png|Cross-section drawing (parallel to Spear/Steuart)
Former Tenants
Current Tenants
See also
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{Cite web |title=Southern Pacific Building |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/118774/southern-pacific-building-san-francisco-ca-usa |website=Emporis |access-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515001303/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/118774/southern-pacific-building-san-francisco-ca-usa |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |url-status=usurped }}
{{cite web |title=One Market Plaza |url=http://www.emporis.com/complex/105824/one-market-plaza-san-francisco-ca-usa |website=Emporis |access-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307154523/http://www.emporis.com/complex/105824/one-market-plaza-san-francisco-ca-usa |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=usurped}}
}}
- {{cite web | author=Patricia Yollin | title=Flood of Memories | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/04/PN3061152.DTL | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | date=July 4, 2003 | accessdate=April 6, 2010}}
{{commons category|Southern Pacific Building (1917)}}
{{Buildings in San Francisco|state=collapsed}}
Category:Office buildings completed in 1917
Category:Landmarks in San Francisco
Category:Market Street (San Francisco)
Category:Skyscraper office buildings in San Francisco