Editing Transamerica Pyramid

{{short description|Skyscraper in San Francisco}}
{{redirect2|Transamerica Tower|Transamerica Building|the building in Baltimore|Transamerica Tower (Baltimore)|the building in Los Angeles|South Park Center (Los Angeles)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Transamerica Pyramid
| image            = Transamerica Pyramid from Coit Tower.jpg
| caption          = The building in 2015
| location         = 600 [[Montgomery Street]]<br/>[[San Francisco, CA]]
| map_type         = United States San Francisco Central#California#USA
| pushpin_label    = Transamerica Pyramid
| coordinates      = {{coord|37.7952|-122.4028|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| status           = completed
| highest_region   = [[List of tallest buildings in San Francisco|San Francisco]]
| highest_prev     = [[555 California Street|Bank of America Center]]
| highest_next     = [[Salesforce Tower]]
| highest_end      = 2017
| highest_start    = 1969
| start_date       = December 1969
| completion_date  = {{start date and age|1972}}
| building_type    = Commercial offices
| roof             = {{convert|853|ft|abbr=on}}
| top_floor        = {{convert|695|ft|abbr=on}}
| floor_count      = 48
| elevator_count   = 18
| cost             = {{US$|32 million}}
| floor_area       = {{convert|499,000|sqft|abbr=on}}
| architect        = [[William L. Pereira]] & [[Harry D. Som]]
| structural_engineer = Chin & Hensolt, Inc.<br/>Glumac International<br/>Simonson & Simonson
| main_contractor  = Dinwiddie Construction Co.
| owner            = [[Michael Shvo]]
| management       = [[Jones Lang LaSalle]] Americas, Inc.
| website          = {{URL|transamericapyramid.com/}}
| references       = <ref>{{ctbuh|772}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/118715 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017005218/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/118715 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |title=Emporis building ID 118715 |work=[[Emporis]]}}</ref><ref>{{skyscraperpage|1601}}</ref><ref>{{structurae|20000081}}</ref>
}}

The '''Transamerica Pyramid''' is a pyramid-shaped 48-story modernist skyscraper in [[San Francisco, California]], United States, and the [[List of tallest buildings in San Francisco|second tallest building]] in the [[San Francisco skyline]].<ref>{{Cite web|title= San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid to get $250M facelift |date=24 March 2022|url= https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/San-Francisco-Transamerica-Pyramid-renovation-17026630.php |access-date=April 2, 2022|publisher=SF Gate}}</ref> Located at 600 [[Montgomery Street]] between Clay and Washington Streets in the city's [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]], it was the tallest building in San Francisco from its completion in 1972 until 2018 when the newly constructed [[Salesforce Tower]] surpassed its height.<ref>{{Cite web|title=San Francisco's Salesforce Tower becomes tallest building on West Coast|date=15 October 2016|url=http://abc7news.com/realestate/salesforce-tower-in-sf-becomes-tallest-building-on-west-coast-/1556148/|access-date=December 24, 2016|publisher=[[KGO-TV|ABC 7 News]]}}</ref> The building no longer houses the [[headquarters]] of the [[Transamerica Corporation]], which moved its U.S. headquarters to [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. The building is still associated with the company by being depicted on the company's logo. Designed by architect [[William Pereira]] and built by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, the building stands at {{convert|853|ft}}. On completion in 1972 it was the [[List of tallest buildings|eighth-tallest building in the world]].<ref name=Emporis>{{cite web | url=http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/wo/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040605070420/http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/wo/ | url-status=usurped | archive-date=June 5, 2004 | title=Official World's 200 Tallest High-rise Buildings | date=January 2010 | work=Emporis | access-date=2010-01-16}}</ref> It is also a popular tourist site. In 2020, the building was sold to NYC investor [[Michael Shvo]], who in 2022 hired [[Norman Foster]] to redesign the interiors and renovate the building.<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle">{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Roland |title=S.F.'s Transamerica Pyramid is getting a $250 million redesign, the biggest in its 50-year history|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/The-Transamerica-Pyramid-is-getting-the-biggest-17021701.php|access-date=3 April 2022 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=22 March 2022}}</ref>

==History==
The Transamerica building was commissioned by Transamerica CEO [[John R. Beckett|John (Jack) R. Beckett]], with the claim that he wished to allow light in the street below. Built on the site of the historic [[Montgomery Block]], it has a structural height of {{convert|853|ft}} and has 48 [[storey|floors]] of [[retail]] and [[office]] space.

Construction began in 1969 and finished in 1972, and was overseen by San Francisco–based contractor Dinwiddie Construction, now Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company. Transamerica moved its headquarters to the new building from across the street, where it had been based in a [[wikt:flatiron|flatiron]]-shaped building now occupied by the [[Church of Scientology]] of San Francisco.<ref>[http://www.scientology.org/david-miscavige/churchopenings/san-francisco-a-scientology-new-church-in-a-world-class-city.html?video=org-sfo_tour A Landmark Church at the Golden Gates]. scientology.org</ref>

Although the tower is no longer [[Transamerica Corporation]] headquarters, it is still associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. The building is evocative of San Francisco and has become one of the many symbols of the city.<ref name=emblem>{{cite news|author=Carolyn Said|title=Transamerica Pyramid From corporate emblem to city landmark|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/29/BUGO76TPTR1.DTL|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=May 29, 2004|access-date=2010-01-16}}</ref> Designed by architect [[William Pereira]], it faced opposition during planning and construction and was sometimes referred to by detractors as "Pereira's Prick".<ref>{{cite book|last=Sorkin|first=Michael|title=Exquisite Corpse: Writing on Buildings|location=New York; London|publisher=Vers0|year=1991|isbn=0-86091-323-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HfADWI2MnyIC&q=%22pereira%27s+prick%22&pg=PA295|access-date=2010-01-16}}</ref> John King of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' summed up the improved opinion of the building in 2009 as "an architectural icon of the best sort – one that fits its location and gets better with age."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pyramid-s-steep-path-from-civic-eyesore-to-icon-3277598.php#ixzz2TsY84YFr|title=Pyramid's steep path from civic eyesore to icon|author=King, John|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=December 27, 2009|access-date=2013-05-20}}</ref> King also wrote in 2011 that it is "a uniquely memorable building, a triumph of the unexpected, unreal and engaging all at once. ... It is a presence and a persona, snapping into different focus with every fresh angle, every shift in light."<ref name=cityscapes />

The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper west of Chicago when constructed, surpassing the then [[555 California Street|Bank of America Center]], also in San Francisco. It was surpassed by the [[Aon Center (Los Angeles)|Aon Center]], [[Los Angeles]], in 1974.

The building is thought to have been the intended target of a terrorist attack, involving the hijacking of airplanes as part of the [[Bojinka plot]], which was foiled in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Irving|first1=Reed Irvine|last2=Kinkaid|first2=Cliff|work=Media Monitor|title=Bojinka Back In The News|url=http://www.aim.org/media-monitor/bojinka-back-in-the-news|publisher=Accuracy in Media|date=March 28, 2002|access-date=2010-01-16}}</ref>

In 1999, Transamerica was acquired by [[Netherlands|Dutch]] insurance company [[Aegon N.V.|Aegon]]. When the non-insurance operations of Transamerica were later sold to [[GE Capital]], Aegon retained ownership of the building as an investment.<ref name=emblem/> In 2020, the building was purchased by [[SHVO]] and [[Deutsche Bank|Deutsche Finance America]] for $650 million.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shvo, Deutsche Finance close on Transamerica Pyramid for $650M |url=https://therealdeal.com/2020/10/29/san-franciscos-transamerica-pyramid-sells-for-650m/ |access-date=1 July 2021 |publisher=The Real Deal |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> In 2022, SHVO and partners hired architect Norman Foster to undertake a $250 million renovation.<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle"/>

The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper in San Francisco from 1972 to 2017, when it was surpassed by the under-construction Salesforce Tower.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/07/salesforce-remakes-san-francisco-skyline-with-tallest-west-coast-office-tower/|title=Salesforce remakes San Francisco skyline with tallest West Coast office tower|date=2017-04-07|website=The Mercury News|access-date=2017-07-29}}</ref> It is one of 39 San Francisco high rises reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as potentially vulnerable to a large earthquake, due to a flawed welding technique.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/us/california-earthquakes-high-rises.html|title=At Risk in a Big Quake: 39 of San Francisco's Top High Rises|date=2018-06-14|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2021-10-04}}</ref>

==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>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Transamerica Pyramid base.jpg|Base
File:The Transamerica Pyramid.jpg|The Transamerica Pyramid
File:Downtown San Francisco in 2012.jpg|From [[Columbus Avenue (San Francisco)|Columbus Avenue]] (2012)
File:San Francisco harbor scene with Transamerica Pyramid.jpg|From [[San Francisco Bay]] (2017)
File:Sebastien Gabriel 2016-03-03 (Unsplash vppR0Z6U zY).jpg|Steep aerial view, featuring spire (2016)
File:Dusk view of San Francisco, California LCCN2011631129.tif|Aerial view at dusk by [[Carol Highsmith]]
File:View from 555 California Street in San Francisco - panoramio (4).jpg|Viewed from [[555 California]] (2009)
File:Transamerica Pyramid 2023.jpg|Viewed from the Embarcadero (2023)
</gallery>

== Park ==
[[File:Transamerica Redwood Park Dusk.jpg|thumb|The Redwood Park on the grounds of the Transamerica Pyramid at dusk|alt=|left|200x200px]]
At the base of the building is a half-acre [[privately owned public space]] designed by Tom Galli called Redwood Park. A number of [[redwood trees]] were transplanted to this park from the [[Santa Cruz Mountains]] when the tower was built. It is currently closed as part of the remodel project. It features a fountain and pond designed by Anthony Guzzardo, containing a jumping frog and lily pads bronze sculpture commemorating "[[The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County]]" by [[Mark Twain]] (sculpture by Richard Clopton, 1996); a [[Glenna Goodacre]] [[bronze]] sculpture of children at play (1989); a bronze plaque honoring the dogs [[Bummer and Lazarus]], celebrating their skill at catching rats; and benches and tables offering respite to workers and visitors alike.<ref name=NYT-2010>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/us/05bcintel.html |title=Local Intelligence: Pyramid Redwood Park |author=Pelliser, Hank |url-access=subscription |date=September 4, 2010 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pyramidcenter.com/redwood-park/ |title=Redwood Park {{!}} Transamerica Pyramid Center|website=pyramidcenter.com|access-date=2019-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://tclf.org/landscapes/transamerica-redwood-park |title=Transamerica Redwood Park |website=The Cultural Landscape Foundation |access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref>

==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.

==Tenants==
* ATEL Capital Group
*[[Bank of America Merrill Lynch]]<ref>[http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/01/15/daily32.html BofA renews lease at Transamerica Pyramid]</ref>
*Crux Informatics
*[[Greenhill & Co.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.greenhill.com/en/contact|title = Contact &#124; Greenhill & Co}}</ref>
*[[Heller Manus Architects]]
*Incapture Group<ref>[http://www.incapturetechnologies.com/media-center/ Incapture Group Moves Into The Iconic Pyramid] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103075919/http://www.incapturetechnologies.com/media-center/ |date=2013-11-03 }}</ref>
*[[Mars, Incorporated|Mars Inc.]]
*On Lok
*[[Pantheon Ventures]]
*Rembrandt Venture Partners
*[[TSG Consumer Partners]]
*Union Square Advisors LLC
*[[URS Corporation]]

==Similar structures==
*[[The Shard]], a building in London
*[[Burj Khalifa]], a building in Dubai
*[[Ryugyong Hotel]], a building in Pyongyang

==See also==
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}
* [[List of tallest buildings in San Francisco]]
* [[49-Mile Scenic Drive]]
* [[List of tallest buildings]]
* [[List of tallest pyramids]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="Douglas 2004">{{cite book | last=Douglas | first=G.H. | title=Skyscrapers: A Social History of the Very Tall Building in America | publisher=McFarland | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-7864-2030-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IxDUUqut-XkC&pg=PA241 | access-date=July 5, 2018 | pages=241–242}}</ref>
<ref name="DK California 2014">{{cite book | title=DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: California | publisher=DK Publishing | series=EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4654-3266-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFs8BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA319 | access-date=July 5, 2018 | page=319}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://transamericapyramid.com/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218235823/http://www.transamerica.com/company_profile/about_the_pyramid/ About the Pyramid] at [[Transamerica Corporation]]
* [http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Property/30418051/600-Montgomery-St-San-Francisco-CA-94111/ Transamerica Pyramid] at PropertyShark

{{Financial District, San Francisco}}
{{Buildings west of Mississippi timeline}}
{{Buildings in California timeline}}
{{Buildings in San Francisco timeline}}
{{Buildings in San Francisco}}
{{San Francisco Attractions}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1972]]
[[Category:Insurance company headquarters in the United States]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Modernist architecture in California]]
[[Category:Pyramids in the United States]]
[[Category:William Pereira buildings]]
[[Category:Financial District, San Francisco]]
[[Category:Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certified buildings]]
[[Category:1972 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Earthquake-resistant structures]]