Editing Transamerica Pyramid (section)

==Specifications==
{{More citations needed|section|date=June 2018}}{{comparison_of_pyramids.svg|tn}}

* The building's façade is covered in crushed [[quartz]], giving the building its light color.<ref>{{cite book | last=Foster | first=L. | title=The Photographer's Guide to San Francisco: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them | publisher=Countryman Press | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-58157-831-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IMlYbZ6xPXkC&pg=PA34 | access-date=July 5, 2018 | page=34}}</ref>
* The four-story base contains {{Convert|16000|yd3}} of [[concrete]] and over {{Convert|300|mi}} of steel [[rebar]].
* It has 3,678 windows.<ref name="cityscapes">King, John (2011) ''Cityscapes: San Francisco and Its Buildings'' Berkeley, California: Heyday. p.2 {{ISBN|978-1-59714-154-3}}</ref>
* The building's foundation is {{Convert|9|ft|m}} thick, the result of a 3-day, 24-hour [[slip forming|continuous concrete pour]]. Several thousand dollars in coins were thrown into the pit by observers surrounding the site at street level during the pouring, for good luck. {{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}
* Only two of the building's 18 elevators reach the top floor.
* The original proposal was for a {{Convert|1150|ft|m|adj=mid}} building, which for a year would have been the second-tallest completed building in the world. The proposal was rejected by the city planning commission, saying it would interfere with views of [[San Francisco Bay]] from [[Nob Hill, San Francisco, California|Nob Hill]].<ref name="Emporis" />
* The building is on the site that was the temporary home of [[A. P. Giannini]]'s [[Bank of Italy (USA)|Bank of Italy]] after the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]] destroyed its office. Giannini founded Transamerica in 1928 as a holding company for his financial empire. Bank of Italy later became [[Bank of America]].
* There is a plaque commemorating two famous dogs, [[Bummer and Lazarus]], at the base of the building.<ref>{{cite book | last=Rubin | first=S. | title=San Francisco Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff | publisher=Globe Pequot Press | series=Curiosities Series | year=2010 | isbn=978-0-7627-6577-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C3j2cBoRXY0C&pg=PA35 | access-date=July 5, 2018 | page=35}}</ref>
* The hull of the [[Niantic (whaling vessel)|whaling vessel ''Niantic'']], an artifact of the 1849 [[California Gold Rush]], lay almost beneath the Transamerica Pyramid, and the location is marked by a historical plaque outside the building ([[List of California Historical Landmarks|California Historical Landmark #88]]).
* The aluminum cap is indirectly illuminated from within to balance the appearance at night.
* The two wings increase interior space at the upper levels. One extension is the top of elevator shafts while the other is a smoke evacuation tower for fire-fighting.<ref>{{cite episode | title=Pyramid | url=http://www.calgold.com/calgold/Default.asp?Series=3000&Show=125 | series=California's Gold | series-link=California's Gold | credits=Huell Howser | network=[[PBS]] | number=#3004 | access-date=2010-01-16 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020201600/http://calgold.com/calgold/Default.asp?Series=3000&Show=125 | archive-date=2010-10-20 }}</ref>
* A glass pyramid cap sits at the top and encloses a red [[aircraft warning lights|aircraft warning light]] and the brighter seasonal beacon.<ref>{{cite web | last=Baker | first=Katie | title=Ask the Appeal: When Does the TransAmerica Beacon Shine? | website=SF Appeal: San Francisco's Online Newspaper | date=October 19, 2010 | url=http://sfappeal.com/2010/10/ask-the-appeal-when-does-the-transamerica-beacon-shine/ | access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Dalton | first=Andrew | title=San Francisco's Best Skyscrapers (And One Fogscraper) | website=SFist | date=June 11, 2014 | url=http://sfist.com/2014/06/11/san_franciscos_best_buildings.php | access-date=July 5, 2018 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105234717/http://sfist.com/2014/06/11/san_franciscos_best_buildings.php | archive-date=November 5, 2017 }}</ref>
* Because of the shape of the building, the majority of the windows can pivot 360 degrees so they can be washed from the inside.<ref name="Douglas 2004" />
* The spire is hollow<ref name="DK California 2014" /> and lined with a 100-foot steel stairway at a 60-degree angle, followed by two steel ladders.
* The conference room (with 360 degree views of the city) is located on the 48th floor.
* Construction began in 1969 and the first tenants moved in during the summer of 1972.