Editing Transamerica Pyramid (section)

==Design==
The land use and zoning restrictions for the parcel limited the number of square feet of office that could be built upon the lot, which sits at the north boundary of the financial district.

The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two "wings" to accommodate an elevator shaft on the east and a stairwell and a smoke tower on the west.<ref name="faq"/> The top {{Convert|212|ft|m}} of the building is the spire.<ref name="DK California 2014"/> There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming the "Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck."{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} Four monitors in the lobby, whose direction and zoom can be controlled by visitors, display the cameras' views 24 hours a day.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} An observation deck on the 27th floor was closed: the Pyramid's official website says that it was closed to the public in 2001,<ref>[http://www.pyramidcenter.com/tourism/history/ HISTORY] - Transamerica Pyramid Center. Retrieved 2018-02-04.</ref> while ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that it has been closed "[s]ince the late 1990s".<ref name=NYT-2010/> It was replaced by the virtual observation deck a few years later. The video signal from the "Transamericam" was used for years by a local TV news station for live views of traffic and weather in downtown San Francisco.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. During the [[Christmas]] holiday season, on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]], and during the anniversary of 9/11, a brightly twinkling beacon called the "Crown Jewel" is lit at the top of the pyramid.<ref name="faq">{{cite web |url=http://www.thepyramidcenter.com/tourism/faq.htm |title=Transamerica Pyramid Center: Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=2013-10-05}}</ref>