Groundbreaking October 7, 1907 Floor count 11 Opened 1908 Phone +1 415-392-7552 | Completed 1908 Floor area 31,000 sq ft (2,900 m) Floors 11 | |
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Type Commercial offices
Retail space Location 760 Market Street
San Francisco, California Address 210 Post St #813, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA Architect William and Alexander Curlett Similar Hobart Building, Humboldt Bank Building, Flood Building, Lotta's Fountain, Central Tower | ||
Phelan building
The Phelan Building is an 11-story office building in the downtown shopping district of San Francisco, California. It has a triangular shape reminiscent of the Flatiron Building, with its tip at the meeting point of Market Street, O’Farrell Street, and Grant Ave. It is a San Francisco Designated Landmark.
Contents
- Phelan building
- The original Phelan Building
- The second Phelan Building
- The penthouse
- Major tenants
- References
The building was designed by William Curlett and built in 1908 by James D. Phelan on the place of the first, original Phelan Building, damaged by the 1906 earthquake and fire.
Phelan building
The original Phelan Building
The first Phelan Building was constructed in 1881 by James Phelan, the father of James D. Phelan. It was a 6-story, bay-windowed, mansard-roofed flatiron.
Despite being advertised to be “thoroughly fire and earthquake proof”, the building was badly damaged in the 1906 post-earthquake fire, and its ruins were subsequently dynamited on April 20, 1906.
The second Phelan Building
The work of the new Phelan Building started on October 7, 1907 and was finished on September 1, 1908 for stores and the first day of 1909 for offices. It was one of the earliest office buildings to be rebuilt after the earthquake.
The building exterior features metal windows and is clad in cream glazed terra-cotta. The original steel structure was designed to accommodate 13 floors; eventually eleven were completed.
At its opening, the building featured an assembly hall on the 11th floor, arcade stores on the second floor, and a basement café.
For many decades, the Phelan Building was a de facto center for jewelry, hosting dozens of jewelers and a jewelry school.
The penthouse
An unusual feature of the building is a small penthouse. Originally adorned by a rooftop garden, it was used by James D. Phelan to entertain dignitaries. It has later served as a photography studio in the 1960s, and was abandoned some time in the 1980s.