Russ Building

Commercial offices in San Francisco, California

37°47′28″N 122°24′10″W / 37.7912°N 122.4028°W / 37.7912; -122.4028Completed1927OwnerThe Swig CompanyManagementShorenstein PropertiesHeightAntenna spire132.6 m (435 ft)Roof127.4 m (418 ft)Technical detailsFloor count32^[1]Floor area511,329 sq ft (47,504.0 m²)^[2]Lifts/elevators15Design and constructionArchitect(s)George W. Kelham^[1]Structural engineerH.J. Brunnier AssociatesMain contractorDinwiddie ConstructionReferences^[3]^[4]^[5]

The Russ Building is a Neo-Gothic office tower located in the Financial District of San Francisco, California. It was designed by architect George W. Kelham, who was responsible for many of San Francisco's other prominent high-rise buildings in the 1920s.^[6]^[7] The 133-metre (436 ft) building was completed in 1927 and had 32 floors as well as the city's first indoor parking garage. It was the tallest building in San Francisco from 1927 to 1964 and one of the most prominent, along with its 133-metre (436 ft) "twin", the PacBell Building to the south.^[3]

Upon completion, the building was iconic enough that Architect and Engineer wrote, “In nearly every large city there is one building that because of its size, beauty of architectural design and character of its use and occupancy, has come to typify the city itself ... Today the Russ Building takes this place in San Francisco. By its size and location and by the character of its tenants the building becomes indeed—'The Center of Western Progress'.”^[8]

However, Manhattanization from 1960 to 1990 has shrouded the tower in a shell of skyscrapers, removing the tower's prominence.

The San Francisco Chronicle's architecture critic John King described the Russ Building as "the embodiment of Jazz Age romance, a full block of ornate Gothic-flavored masonry that ascends in jagged stages from Montgomery Street with a leap and then a scramble to a central crown".^[1] The tower is a California Historical Landmark.^[3]

Until the emergence of Sand Hill Road in the 1980s, many of the largest venture capital firms held offices in the Russ Building.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b ^c King, John (2015). Cityscapes 2: Reading the Architecture of San Francisco. Heyday. ISBN 9781597143141.
^ "Russ Building". Skyscraper Center. CTBUH. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Emporis building ID 118778". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
^ "Russ Building". SkyscraperPage.
^ Russ Building at Structurae
^ "George W. Kelham | Companies". Emporis. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
^ "Russ Building (San Francisco, 1927)".
^ Corbett, Michael R (1979). Splendid survivors: San Francisco's downtown architectural heritage. San Francisco: California Living Books. ISBN 978-0-89395-031-6.

External links

The Russ Building at Shorenstein Properties
The Russ Building's Tenant Handbook
The Russ Building at The Swig Company

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v t e Timeline of the tallest buildings in California
Montgomery Block (15 m) (1853) Old St. Mary's Cathedral (27 m) (1854) California State Capitol (64 m) (1874) Chronicle Building (66 m) (1890) Call Building (96 m) (1898) Standard Oil Building (100 m) (1922) Pacific Telephone Building (133 m) (1925) Russ Building (133 m) (1927) Los Angeles City Hall (138 m) (1928) Hartford Building (142 m) (1965) 44 Montgomery (172 m) (1967) Bank of America Center (237 m) (1969) Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972) Aon Center (262 m) (1973) US Bank Tower (310 m) (1990) Wilshire Grand Center (335 m) (2016)

Timeline of the tallest buildings in California

Montgomery Block (15 m) (1853)
Old St. Mary's Cathedral (27 m) (1854)
California State Capitol (64 m) (1874)
Chronicle Building (66 m) (1890)
Call Building (96 m) (1898)
Standard Oil Building (100 m) (1922)
Pacific Telephone Building (133 m) (1925)
Russ Building (133 m) (1927)
Los Angeles City Hall (138 m) (1928)
Hartford Building (142 m) (1965)
44 Montgomery (172 m) (1967)
Bank of America Center (237 m) (1969)
Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972)
Aon Center (262 m) (1973)
US Bank Tower (310 m) (1990)
Wilshire Grand Center (335 m) (2016)

v t e Timeline of the tallest buildings in San Francisco
Montgomery Block (15 m) (1853) Old St. Mary's Cathedral (27 m) (1854) Palace Hotel (37 m) (1875) Chronicle Building (66 m) (1890) Call Building (96 m) (1898) Standard Oil Building (100 m) (1922) Pacific Telephone Building (133 m) (1925) Russ Building (133 m) (1927) Hartford Building (142 m) (1965) 44 Montgomery (172 m) (1967) Bank of America Center (237 m) (1969) Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972) Salesforce Tower (326 m) (2018)

Timeline of the tallest buildings in San Francisco

Montgomery Block (15 m) (1853)
Old St. Mary's Cathedral (27 m) (1854)
Palace Hotel (37 m) (1875)
Chronicle Building (66 m) (1890)
Call Building (96 m) (1898)
Standard Oil Building (100 m) (1922)
Pacific Telephone Building (133 m) (1925)
Russ Building (133 m) (1927)
Hartford Building (142 m) (1965)
44 Montgomery (172 m) (1967)
Bank of America Center (237 m) (1969)
Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972)
Salesforce Tower (326 m) (2018)

v t e Tallest buildings in San Francisco
Skyscrapers over 500 feet (150 m)	Salesforce Tower Transamerica Pyramid 181 Fremont 555 California Street 345 California Center Millennium Tower One Rincon Hill The Avery Park Tower at Transbay Salesforce West 101 California Street 575 Market Street Four Embarcadero Center One Embarcadero Center 44 Montgomery One Market Plaza Spear Tower One Sansome Street The Harrison One Front Street First Market Tower McKesson Plaza 425 Market Street 706 Mission Street One Montgomery Tower
Highrises over 400 feet (120 m)	333 Bush Street Hilton San Francisco Union Square Tower I Pacific Gas & Electric Building 50 California Street 555 Mission Street St. Regis Museum Tower 100 Pine Center 45 Fremont Street 333 Market Street 650 California Street 100 First Plaza 340 Fremont Street 399 Fremont Street 500 Folsom One California San Francisco Marriott Marquis Russ Building 140 New Montgomery Jasper MIRA The Infinity II JPMorgan Chase Building The Paramount Providian Financial Building Three Embarcadero Center Two Embarcadero Center Salesforce East 595 Market Street 123 Mission Street 101 Montgomery Embarcadero West 100 Van Ness Avenue LUMINA Fifteen Fifty
Highrises over 300 feet (91 m)	One Maritime Plaza Four Seasons Hotel 415 Natoma Street Westin St. Francis 33 Tehama Street 456 Montgomery Plaza 535 Mission Street Shell Building Park Central Hotel San Francisco 222 Second Street 199 Fremont Street One Market Plaza Steuart Tower Hilton San Francisco Financial District 425 California Street 100 Montgomery Street Grand Hyatt San Francisco Fox Plaza 101 Second Street NEMA 580 California Street 601 California Street The Infinity I Hilton San Francisco Union Square Tower II 450 Sutter Street InterContinental San Francisco Stevenson Place BridgeView 150 California Street 225 Bush Street 505 Montgomery Street Blue Shield of California Building Fairmont San Francisco 180 Montgomery Street KPMG Building Central Plaza The Summit W San Francisco 353 Sacramento Street 555 Market Street Bank of California Building Phillip Burton Federal Building Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences San Francisco Marriott Union Square 88 Kearny Street 388 Market Street Commercial Union Assurance Building Hunter-Dulin Building One Bush Plaza McAllister Tower Apartments 301 Howard Street Mark Hopkins Hotel Mills Tower Central Tower Solaire
Under construction	Oceanwide Center I & II
Planned and proposed	Palace Hotel Residential Tower Treasure Island development 5M Project 524 Howard Street
See also: San Francisco Designated Landmarks, Buildings and structures in San Francisco