Central Tower (San Francisco)
Encyclopedia
Central Tower is a 91 m 21 floor of office building at Market-
and Third-Streets
in San Francisco, California
. The building has undergone numerous renovations since its completion in 1898 as the Call Building and later, the Spreckels Building.
and was named accordingly until the newspaper's merger in 1913. It was then called the Spreckels Building after the newspaper's owner John D. Spreckels
, and his father Claus Spreckels
.
The building stood 315 feet (96 m) tall with an ornate baroque
dome
and four corner cupola
s when construction finished in 1898. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River for many years. The structure was badly burned and damaged by the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
, although the building did not collapse. After the fire, The Call reopened its offices at new location, The Montgomery
.
In 1938 Albert Roller completely refurbished Central Tower. The building's height was reduced to 298 feet (91 m) and the number of stories was increased from 15 to 21; the ornate dome and the cupolas atop the building were removed.
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
and Third-Streets
Third Street (San Francisco)
Third Street, formerly Kentucky Street in the Dogpatch and Railroad Avenue in the Bayview, is a north-south street running through the Downtown, Mission Bay, Potrero Point, Dogpatch, and the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco, California which turns into Kearny Street north of...
in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The building has undergone numerous renovations since its completion in 1898 as the Call Building and later, the Spreckels Building.
History
The building first housed the San Francisco CallSan Francisco Call
The San Francisco Call was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called The San Francisco Call & Post, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, and the News-Call Bulletin...
and was named accordingly until the newspaper's merger in 1913. It was then called the Spreckels Building after the newspaper's owner John D. Spreckels
John D. Spreckels
John Diedrich Spreckels , the son of German-American industrialist Claus Spreckels, founded a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, and his father Claus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels, formally Adolph Claus J. Spreckels , , was a major industrialist in Hawai'i during the kingdom, republican and territorial periods of the islands' history...
.
The building stood 315 feet (96 m) tall with an ornate baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
and four corner cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
s when construction finished in 1898. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River for many years. The structure was badly burned and damaged by the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, although the building did not collapse. After the fire, The Call reopened its offices at new location, The Montgomery
The Montgomery
The Montgomery is a residential highrise located at 74 New Montgomery Street in San Francisco, California. The building was designed by the Reid Brothers architects in 1914 and served as headquarters and the offices of newspaper, The San Francisco Call after its building The Call Building was...
.
In 1938 Albert Roller completely refurbished Central Tower. The building's height was reduced to 298 feet (91 m) and the number of stories was increased from 15 to 21; the ornate dome and the cupolas atop the building were removed.
See also
External links
- The Call Building: ...Then And Now (images) at Life magazineLife (magazine)Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....