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SAN FRANCISCO | Transamerica Pyramid | 853 FT / 260 M | 48 FLOORS | 1972
It's a rare thing when a piece of architecture can become a true icon, but the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco is arguably as famous as the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building as a symbol of its city.
Like most towers of its size, it was originally derided by locals as being alien to San Francisco, a product of corporate greed and imported L.A. flashy architecture (designed by William Periera). But if you asked them today, I'm sure but all of a few crusty old geezers would tell you that it is an absolutely wonderful pinnacle to their city. The base is a truly brutal disaster, a concrete mess of jumbled triangular geometry, but there is a small redwood park that attempts to soften it a little. The precast concrete facade tapers up 48 stories, and oddly the window surrounds actually give a small hint of vernacular San Francisco bay windows. The tower tapers so much that the elevator cores actually break free of the pyramid and form 'wings' at the top. The building is capped by a further continuation of the pyramid, lit up at night, but unfortunately a bit muted. I believe there is a rotating aircraft beacon at the top as well, but i'm not sure if it's in use. The pyramid isn't a great shape in terms of leasable space for an office tower, as the 48th floor of this tower is a mere 5,400 SF! Still, it projects a profile that is forever memorable and is a true icon for the city of San Francisco. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP001.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP002.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP003.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP004.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP005.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP006.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP007.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP008.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP009.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP010.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP011.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP012.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP013.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...MID/TAP014.jpg |
I love it for its uniqueness, but, man, do I wish they'd used another material for the facade. I've seen this one in person, and I hear the facade is quartz, but it's aged like bad exterior concrete.
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So what do you think about the proposal to put this next to it:
http://www.socketsite.com/555%20Wash...0Rendering.jpg http://www.socketsite.com/555%20Wash...v%20Office.jpg http://www.socketsite.com/555%20Wash...0Landscape.jpg All images from http://www.socketsite.com via http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=130808 |
^the round one isn't bad looking.
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What a strange building.
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the round one isnt bad, the park is great too.
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I have always been a fan of the pyramid. Such an unusual, fun, and funky tower! Apparently the poor thing got a crude nickname- "Periera's prick", but I don't think anyone uses it anymore.
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Perhaps the easiest to love brutalist building in history.
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Transamerica Pyramid Achieves LEED Gold and Mayor Releases EB Recommendations
Monday, 21 December 2009 Read More: http://www.usgbc-ncc.org/ Quote:
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i love this building it looks really great and i think san francisco`s new supertall should be built in the same design only much taller and with a different cladding.
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I think the base with the redundant triangles is one of the best features visually, and also makes it durable in an earthquake. And I do believe this building fits into the category "futurism" and not "brutalism."
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I agree the base is not beautiful , the rest is okay , i'l looking for pictures of the construction. found only 2 .
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They were smart and knew pyramid buildings as office towers are infeasible. So that's they gave it some girth on two ends. Still the best building on the West Coast.
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Actually the wings are elevator shafts and were added because the building was shortened from its initial 1,000'+ |
I came across this photo of an earlier proposal for the Transamerica Pyramid. I believe that is Mayor Joseph Alioto on the far left talking with, if I'm not mistaken, radio and TV host Jim Dunbar. Does anyone know who the others are? Was this the proposal at 1,000 or 1,150 feet?
Source: https://plus.google.com/photos/10352...49380337783490 http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...20Building.jpg |
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It was shortened 297', from 1,150' to the present 853'. I've always deeply regretted that--a great mistake, preventing a much more dynamic tower that Transamerica was already prepared to build. |
Does anyone know why it was ever shortened?
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this article by john king has a decent history: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/P...on-3277598.php |
From my trip on September 16th. It's a really cool building and very interesting to look at from afar and up close.
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psgklwcfde.jpg http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...pswzgzpbnx.jpg http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psbaepjbqi.jpg http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psvsnwcgdk.jpg http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...pslsrchja4.jpg http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...pswxmw6mmt.jpg http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psy9htailq.jpg Pictures by me. |
Its an amazing structure. Pyramid has been always fascinating and genuinely Transamerica Pyramid is an inspirational.
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Except it should have been 200 ft taller as originally designed . . . before the NIMBYs got at it.
Nice photos though and hope you had a good trip. |
I actually prefer the design that got built to the more awkward original. Only I wish it was a little taller.
The thing about the TAP is that because we are so accustomed to it we don't stop to consider how unique it is (even still) in the US and the world. |
I think the height is perfect.
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i never knew that the transamerica pyramid was originally proposed at 1,100'. that would have really been something.
at that height it would have been the 4th tallest building in the entire world when it was completed in 1972 (behind only 1WTC, ESB, and JHC). and it would have remained the tallest building in the US outside of NYC & Chicago all the way up until right about now as the 1,121' tall comcast center in philly finishes up. it's still a great and super iconic tower, but it could have been even moreso were it not for some NIMBY idiots. |
I think the TAP is so iconic is partly because of those elevator shaft wing thingies on the sides. The taller proposal wasn't as pronounced. Never been to SF but this building was always on the tops of things to see there. never seen pics up close...like it even better seeing the Brutalist details.
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^^And it has a nice little redwood grove next to it.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2566/3...2dfb5bcc_b.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/3966328401 |
Posting from Droneshot's Flickr. Amazing photos!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af3710f5_b.jpgDJI_0526-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2b44828d_b.jpgDJI_0516-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8613284a_b.jpgDJI_0354-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f8f481fc_b.jpgDJI_0325-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f9dcca39_b.jpgDJI_0310-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8b0c91e8_b.jpgDJI_0307-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e0c6a000_b.jpgDJI_0395-HDR by Droneshot, on Flickr |
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Thank you homebucket. Still a "Superstar Skyscraper" known worldwide. Skyscrapers: Engineering the future on the Sci channel had a segment on it and it is used in the opening credits.
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Great pics homebucket ! My dear family calls it "El Cono" (bless their hearts). Meaning The Cone. All my family in SoCal thinks of the GG bridge, Cable cars and El Cono , the Giants and of course the LGBTQ community when the topic is SF . I've given up trying to get them to say "piramide" (pee rah mee deh) . Gosh darn it ! People it's not a cone ! It's a piramide ! Thank you homebucket.
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It is for sale now. I wonder who has enough of an interest and money to buy it. And Transamerica Corp. wants the new buyer to keep the name Transamerica after the purchase is made!? Not Salesforce Pyramid? Facebook Pyramid? Twitter Pyramid? Will be interesting to see what happens.....
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From the San Francisco Business Times 8/15/19
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfranc...-building.html The Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco’s most iconic building, could soon have a new owner. The building’s current owner, Transamerica Corp. and its parent company, Aegon, had sought an investor to take a partial stake in the building for nearly two years, but is now open to a full sale. “We are exploring options for a possible 100 percent interest sale of the property, with Transamerica retaining naming and branding rights,” said Jay Orlandi, Transamerica’s chief administrative officer. “Right now, San Francisco has a very strong office real estate market. As well, we are seeking a reduction of exposure to our office portfolio, and greater diversity in our portfolio.” In addition to the 853-foot Transamerica Pyramid at 600 Montgomery St., the offering will include adjacent buildings at 505 Sansome St. and 545 Sansome St. Together, the three structures comprise about 760,000 square feet. The deal could reap roughly $600 million to $625 million, or north of $800 per square foot, according to sources familiar with the offering. Brokerage firm JLL is expected to bring the listing to the market next month. The properties were previously marketed by HFF before it was acquired by JLL earlier this year. JLL declined to comment. The 523,000-square-foot Transamerica Pyramid, which has never been sold, has an assessed value of $252 million — a fraction of its market value. The building is about 90 percent occupied, according to CoStar Group, a real estate information company. The 48-story pyramid, completed in 1972, was controversial when it was proposed for its unusual shape and design. It held the title of San Francisco’s tallest building until the completion of the 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower in 2018. The nearby, 19-story building at 505 Sansome, completed in 1981, consists of 176,241 square feet. The building at 545 Sansome was built in 1930 and includes 56,940 square feet on nine stories. The three buildings flank a courtyard that features redwood trees, fountains, benches and a community stage. Transamerica, the insurance company that commissioned the building, no longer occupies space in the building after moving operations to Baltimore. Aegon, a global insurance behemoth, bought Transamerica in 1999. In January of 2018, Transamerica planned to retain control and majority ownership of the building, company spokesperson Julie Quinlan told the Business Times, “continuing our proud association with this iconic building.” The sale would land among the highest-priced office building deals in 2019 during what has turned out to be a busy year for sales. Last month, Atlanta-based real estate investor Jamestown LP paid $825 million for about $859 per square foot for the 930,000-square-foot Levi's Plaza campus at 1155 Battery St. A much smaller historic building at 400 Montgomery St. sold this week for more than $900 per square foot — one of several FiDi office buildings that have traded hands recently. Meanwhile, coworking operator WeWork is in contract to buy 600 California St. for more than $300 million, according to sources familiar with the deal. |
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thank you homebucket ! The Pyramid as a cloudpopper is just classic and awesome.
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https://live.staticflickr.com/4414/3...1de04e6d_b.jpgTransamerica Pyramid. by Iaingd65, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...47d0dc73_b.jpgTransamerica Pyramid by Ina Batulova - Batulina, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/5618/3...c113f5ec_b.jpgCatch the Transamerica Connection by TIA INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr |
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