The Humboldt Savings Bank Building – Market Street, Financial District, San Francisco, California

The Humboldt Bank Building is a 19 floor office building in San Francisco, California.

In 1905, the President and Directors of the Humboldt Savings Bank embarked on plans to build an elegant high-rise tower at 785 Market Street and Fourth Street. They commissioned the architectural partnership of Meyer & O’Brien to design and construct their fabulous new headquarters. Yet not long after work started, nature intervened to halt the ambitious venture. On April 18, 1906, downtown San Francisco was ravaged by a massive earthquake followed by three days of fire. The building was completely destroyed.

Despite the devastation, plans to construct the building were not abandoned – in fact, a still more lavish structure was planned. The architect used this opportunity to incorporate every known fire and safety feature of the time into the new structure. And, within a year, the steel frame of the new Humboldt Bank rose against the empty San Francisco skyline.

In 1908, the Humboldt Saving Bank at last settled in to its new offices and became a significant force in refinancing and rebuilding the new San Francisco that was to rise out of the ashes. The building was praised by one and all as an architectural masterpiece. It is a classic Beaux Arts building. One of the many Beaux Arts principals Meyer incorporated into the design was a hierarchy of space. In this case, a grand entrance lobby is topped by 19 floors of functional office space. Magnificent details on granite, a marble and tile, over reinforced concrete and steel created a visual wonder, topped by a joyous wedding cake dome.