Montgomery Street

Montgomery Street is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, in the United States.

It runs about 16 blocks from the residential Telegraph Hill neighborhood south through downtown, terminating at Market Street. South of Columbus Avenue, Montgomery Street runs through the heart of San Francisco's Financial District and contains one of the highest concentrations of financial activity, investment business, and venture capital in the United States and the world. For this reason, it is known as "the Wall Street of the West". South of Market Street, the street continues as New Montgomery Street for two more blocks to terminate at Howard Street in the SOMA district. On Telegraph Hill, the street's main section ends near Julius' Castle, with a separate segment resuming one block to the north, running from Lombard Street to Francisco Street.

History

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Looking north from Market Street up Montgomery Street towards the Transamerica Pyramid. In the foreground is the flagship branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

In the 1830s, the land which is now Montgomery Street lay at the edge of San Francisco Bay. In Days of the Dons, Steven Richardson recalled watching "good-sized" fishes and "bears, wolves, and coyotes quarreling over their prey along what is now Montgomery Street".

Intense land speculation during the Gold Rush created a demand for more usable land in the rapidly growing city, and sandy bluffs near the waterfront were leveled and the shallows filled with sand (and the ruins of many ships) to make new building lots. Between 1849 and 1852, the waterfront advanced about four blocks. At present, Montgomery Street is about seven blocks from the water.

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Montgomery Street in 1849

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Etching of Montgomery Street in 1857

The corner of Montgomery and Clay is where John B. Montgomery landed when he came to hoist the U.S. flag after the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. The Admission Day Monument at the intersection of Montgomery Street and Market Street commemorates California Admission Day (September 9, 1850), the date on which the state became part of the Union, following the Mexican–American War of 1848.

In 1853 the Montgomery Block, a center of early San Francisco law and literature, was built at 600 Montgomery, on land currently occupied by the Transamerica Pyramid.

Offices

File:Historic American Buildings Survey A. J. Wittlock, Photographer March 1940 TELEGRAPH HILL AND MONTGOMERY STREET HOUSES - Telegraph Hill (House), 1301 Montgomery Street, San HABS CAL,38-SANFRA,126-1.tif

Montgomery Street building on Telegraph Hill, 1940

Many banks and financial-services companies have had offices in the buildings on or near Montgomery Street, especially between Market Street and Sacramento Street:

• The world headquarters of Wells Fargo are at 420 Montgomery.
• 555 California Street, between Kearny and Montgomery, served as Bank of America's world headquarters prior to its merger with NationsBank and was (from 1969 to 2005) officially called the Bank of America Building.
• The Transamerica Pyramid (600 Montgomery, at Columbus Avenue) was the headquarters of Transamerica Corporation and still appears in the company's logo.
• Melvin Belli, lawyer known as "The King of Torts", had his offices at the Belli Building at 722-724 Montgomery St. Belli used to raise a Jolly Roger and fire a cannon every time he won a case.
• Bank of the West is headquartered at 180 Montgomery Street.
• Template:Ill, at 130 Montgomery Street.

High-rises and other notable buildings

High-rises and other notable buildings along Montgomery Street in the Financial District:

• 44 Montgomery
• Hunter-Dulin Building (111 Sutter at Montgomery)
• 100 Montgomery Street
• 101 Montgomery
• 180 Montgomery Street
• Mills Building and Tower (at Montgomery and Bush)
• Russ Building (235 Montgomery)
• Commercial Union Assurance Building (315 Montgomery)
• Omni San Francisco Hotel
• Borel & Co. (440 Montgomery)
• 456 Montgomery Plaza
• Italian American Bank (460 Montgomery)
• 505 Montgomery Street
• Transamerica Pyramid (600 Montgomery)
• Columbia Savings Bank Building (700 Montgomery)
• Golden Era Building (at 732-734 Montgomery)

A building bearing the name of One Montgomery Tower is located one block away from Montgomery Street at the intersection of Post and Kearny streets, behind the Wells Fargo flagship branch and Crocker Galleria.

Public transit

Montgomery Street is served by the BART and Muni Metro Montgomery Street Station.

See also

• Ernie's (former restaurant on Montgomery Street near Jackson Square)
• Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest Region (456 Montgomery)
• Occidental Hotel (former hotel at Montgomery and Bush, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake)