JeffReuben
Southern Pacific Building, Steuart St. facade
The Southern Pacific building, home office of the railroad of the same name, was constructed from 1916 to 1917. On 16 January 1918, the San Francisco Chronicle published a series of articles on the new building.
Here are excerpts from two of those articles:
“Structure Real Combination of Beauty, Utility” by W.D. Bliss, of Bliss & Faville, Architects.
Bliss described the building his firm designed.
Excerpt:
“The design of the building is Italian Renaissance. [...] The Ionic columns on the first floor are Boise stone. The arches, balustrades, balconies and the Corinthian columns on the ninth and tenth stories are terra cotta, and the main surface wall is brick.
ROMAN BRICKS USED
The bricks are what are known as Roman size, being thinner than the ordinary type. The color of the joint is kept the same color as the terra cotta and ties the color of the terra cotta to that of the brick.
The pavilions and balconies were introduced in the facade to relieve the monotony of too extensive wall surface, but at the same time an effort was made to avoid too much ornamentation, a mistake which often robs a building of its dignity.”
Another article, which is not credited to an author but reads as if written by a Southern Pacific publicist, touts the speed and grand scale of the building.
“Construction of Southern Pacific Building a World’s Record.”
Excerpt:
“Here are a few facts which serve to furnish an idea of the extent of the structure and of the problems faced by the builders. The building covers an entire block, furnishes 500,000 square feet of floor space, or sufficient standing room for every person in California. End on end, the piles would extend fifty miles into the earth. More than 2,500,000 bricks, 30 cars of piping, 10 elevators using three miles of cable, 1736 windows, 130,000 square feet of glass, 6 miles of pneumatic tubing, 13½ miles of plumber’s pipe, 14 miles of steam pipe, 2 miles of vacuum pipe, 50 miles of wire, 20 miles of conduit, and countless other items of similar magnitude went to make up the interior working machinery of the structure. September 1, 1917, on year to the day after the building was started, it was completed and turned over to the company - “on time.” And a new world’s record had been established.”
The article described it as the biggest building west of Chicago and emphasized the importance of it delivery “on time,” in keeping with the railroad’s train services.
Southern Pacific Building, Steuart St. facade
The Southern Pacific building, home office of the railroad of the same name, was constructed from 1916 to 1917. On 16 January 1918, the San Francisco Chronicle published a series of articles on the new building.
Here are excerpts from two of those articles:
“Structure Real Combination of Beauty, Utility” by W.D. Bliss, of Bliss & Faville, Architects.
Bliss described the building his firm designed.
Excerpt:
“The design of the building is Italian Renaissance. [...] The Ionic columns on the first floor are Boise stone. The arches, balustrades, balconies and the Corinthian columns on the ninth and tenth stories are terra cotta, and the main surface wall is brick.
ROMAN BRICKS USED
The bricks are what are known as Roman size, being thinner than the ordinary type. The color of the joint is kept the same color as the terra cotta and ties the color of the terra cotta to that of the brick.
The pavilions and balconies were introduced in the facade to relieve the monotony of too extensive wall surface, but at the same time an effort was made to avoid too much ornamentation, a mistake which often robs a building of its dignity.”
Another article, which is not credited to an author but reads as if written by a Southern Pacific publicist, touts the speed and grand scale of the building.
“Construction of Southern Pacific Building a World’s Record.”
Excerpt:
“Here are a few facts which serve to furnish an idea of the extent of the structure and of the problems faced by the builders. The building covers an entire block, furnishes 500,000 square feet of floor space, or sufficient standing room for every person in California. End on end, the piles would extend fifty miles into the earth. More than 2,500,000 bricks, 30 cars of piping, 10 elevators using three miles of cable, 1736 windows, 130,000 square feet of glass, 6 miles of pneumatic tubing, 13½ miles of plumber’s pipe, 14 miles of steam pipe, 2 miles of vacuum pipe, 50 miles of wire, 20 miles of conduit, and countless other items of similar magnitude went to make up the interior working machinery of the structure. September 1, 1917, on year to the day after the building was started, it was completed and turned over to the company - “on time.” And a new world’s record had been established.”
The article described it as the biggest building west of Chicago and emphasized the importance of it delivery “on time,” in keeping with the railroad’s train services.