Along with the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars, the Transamerica Pyramid is one of San Francisco‘s most famous icons. It towers over the surrounding skyscrapers, and we are well aware that today we could not imagine the San Francisco skyline without it and its past as the tallest building in the entire city, a record lost in 2018 with the construction of the Salesforce Tower.
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What is the Transamerica Pyramid?
At the time of its opening in 1972, at 853 feet, the Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper in San Francisco and the entire western United States. It was also the eighth tallest building in the world. The record as the tallest building on the West Coast was short-lived as in 1974, the Aon Center in Los Angeles surpassed it. In the city, however, its height and eccentric shapes made it an early symbol of San Francisco.
The Transamerica Pyramid is part of the complex called the Transamerica Pyramid Center, which also includes the buildings 3 Transamerica and 2 Transamerica as well as the 21,500-square-foot Transamerica Redwood Park. This park, generally open during the day, features beautiful redwoods from the Santa Cruz Mountains, a fountain, and an artificial pond with statues of leaping frogs.
Why are there frog-shaped sculptures at the foot of the Transamerica Pyramid? Artist Richard Clopton’s 1996 sculpture is a tribute to Mark Twain‘s work The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. The writer, in fact, worked for a time at a local newspaper based near the Transamerica Pyramid.
How to Get to the Transamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid is located at 600 Montgomery Street, in the northern area of the San Francisco Financial District. It is a short distance on foot from Chinatown, Union Square and North Beach. You can therefore get to it without any particular difficulty by bus, BART, MUNI lines or cable car (if this variety of solutions confuses you read our guide on transportation in San Francisco). Let’s look together in detail how to get to the Transamerica Pyramid by public transportation.
The nearest bus stops, a few minutes walk away, are:
- Clay Street / Montgomery Street for line 1
- Sansome Street / Clay Street for lines 1 and 12
- Kerney Street / Clay Street for the 8, 8AX, 8BX lines
- Battery Street / Sacramento Street for lines 1, 114, 132, 154, 172.
To reach the Transamerica Pyramid you can also take:
- BART GREEN, BLUE, RED, YELLOW lines, getting off at the Embarcadero stop and walking about 10 minutes;
- MUNI M and N lines again getting off at Embarcadero Station.
- the iconic cable cars by getting off at the California Street / Kerney Street stop about a 5-minute walk from the building.
History, Building Construction and Expansion Project
The Transamerica Pyramid was a desire in the 1960s of John R. Beckett, the CEO of the Transamerica Corporation. He wanted it to be the headquarters of the finance and insurance company founded in 1928 by the man who is considered in America to be the father of modern banking, Amedeo Giannini. The Transamerica Corporation headquarters was to be built on the land owned by the corporation in the neighborhood known as the Montgomery Block. Between 1853 and 1959, a four-story building called the Montgomery, famous for being the first fireproof and earthquake-resistant building in San Francisco, stood in this same area. The Montgomery was demolished in 1959.
When William L. Pereira‘s plan to build a futuristic, pyramid-shaped skyscraper costing $32 million on the grounds of the Transamerica Corporation came out in 1969, the idea was strongly criticized by some of the public but appealed greatly to company executives and Mayor Joseph Alioto. Four years later, in 1972, the building was inaugurated and has towered among the city’s other buildings ever since, even withstanding several earthquakes despite its height and age, including the devastating October 1989 earthquake of magnitude 6.9 in which 63 people lost their lives and nearly 4,000 were injured. The Transamerica Pyramid wobbled greatly during those very long 15 seconds, but came through virtually unscathed.
Although it still has the image of the Transamerica Pyramid in its logo, the Transamerica Corporation has now moved its headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland. In 1999, the property was in fact purchased by the Dutch financial company Aegon. In 2009, after an initial major renovation, the Transamerica Pyramid Center won LEED Platinum for its sustainable practices with regard to energy and water conservation and environmental pollution reduction. In 2020, the entire property was sold to SHVO and Deutsche Finance America for $650 million.
Beginning in 2022, real estate developer Michael Shvo, founder of the SHVO real estate company, the current owner of the skyscraper, has commissioned the London firm Foster and Partners to renovate the Transamerica Pyramid Center by creating more luxurious interior environments, a tree-lined walkway, a private club on the 48th floor, and expanding outdoor spaces in Redwood Park.
Visit Transamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid is privately owned. Its 48 floors full of offices are not open to the public, so, unfortunately, it is not possible to go up to the upper floors. However, the lobby can be visited, and in a small Visitor Center with an attached gift store, videos about the history of the skyscraper and live camera footage of the view visible from the top are broadcast.
Can you go up the Transamerica Pyramid? For a time, between 1972 and 1993, there was a viewing terrace open to the public on the 27th floor of the tower. The terrace was completely closed after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
What are the best places to view the Transamerica Pyramid? You will certainly enjoy a good view of the skyscraper by visiting the nearby Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Another idea is to see the entire skyline with the Transamerica Pyramid inevitably being a star of the view from the San Francisco – Sausalito ferry. And also from the bay, you’ll find a series of islands that serve as vantage points for viewing the city and its famous pyramidal skyscraper: Treasure Island, Angel Island and Alcatraz, fog permitting.
Where to Stay Near the Transamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid Center is located in the heart of San Francisco, not far from Union Square and Chinatown. Both neighborhoods are touristy and therefore full of hotels and bed and breakfasts to stay in, though most of them not exactly cheap. Read our article on where to stay in San Francisco for tips and ideas on the best places, attractions and amenities in each area of this beautiful city.
