Downtown Architecture Walk

From the the lobby of the Galleria Park Hotel take the elevator or stairs to the third floor. When you arrive at the third floor make a left into the hall and exit the building through the first door on your left onto the sun deck.

When you exit the hotel you'll enter a hidden, green sun terrace with plenty of benches to quietly soak in the surrounding architecture.

This space is the first of several Privately Owned Public Open Spaces (POPOS) that you will encounter on this walk.

Downtown San Francisco has 68 POPS that were created under the requirements of the 1985 Downtown Plan, a set of zoning regulations adopted to control growth, which included guidelines for the creation of more publicly accessible open space in downtown San Francisco.

The Hallidi building may not look like much at first sight, but it is one of the most, if not the most, historically significant buildings in San Francisco, and according to some even the world's most important building.

The Hallidi building's claim to fame is its transparent glass wall supported by a steel frame. This "glass curtain" wall construction is one of the great revolutions in architectural design.

After observing the Hallidi building, enter the Crocker Galleria via a staircase located at the opposite side of the terrace from Galleria Park Hotel. The galleria has good shops and lots of food options. While crossing the bridge to the other side of the galleria, look toward your left to view the Hallidi building once more. Imagine seeing this building in the 1920s without the obstructing walls. The sight must have been impressive!

This sun terrace on top of the historic bank building at Montgomery and Post streets is the 2nd POPOS of this tour. This POPOS offers great views on Market Street and has plenty of benches that enable you to enjoy a sunny day.

To continue, enter the elevator down near the Montgomery Street side of the terrace, which will take you down to the lobby of Wells Fargo Bank.

After exiting the elevator, make a left into Wells Fargo without exiting the building.

This Wells Fargo office offers a glimpse into the imperial grandeur of the past.

The rise of ATMs and online banking make most of the functions that were performed here obsolete.

To reach the lobby of 111 Sutter St., enter the hallway visible on your right when facing the center of Wells Fargo.

Look up to see the colorful painted ceiling that was restored in 2005.

Look down toward the marble floor to see (and feel with your foot) the footprint caused by millions of movements by the elevator captain.

Cross Sutter and Montgomery streets simultaneously by J-walking (diagonally crossing an intersection), an act that is allowed here, but usually considered a criminal offense.

This greenhouse is built into the shell of the 1912 London-Paris Bank building, with a glass roof and two-story arches opening to Sansome and Sutter streets. The material for the arches, the walls, the entrance steps and the floor is white marble with additional black marble bands and a round black polished marble fountain in the center. Palm trees and other plants soften the severity of the space. An Art Deco bronze sculpture graces a marble niche. A food service opens to the space and café tables and chairs have been provided. There is also a seating area inside the building lobby.

This is your fourth and final POPOS of the day. A beautifully designed and maintained urban garden surrounds the first postwar high-rise building, a "tower in a park." It features river rocks embedded in concrete, inlaid with a striking design of bands of gray slate. A fountain sculpture spouts and drips water. The planting consists of cherry, willow and pine trees and evergreen ground cover. The garden lies below street level and resembles a moat. It is for visual enjoyment only; no seating has been provided, the river rocks are hard to walk on and no food service is available. The circular-shaped building currently houses eTrade.

This is the first glass building built after the Great Depression and World War II, inspired by Mies van der Rohe's buildings in New York.

The Shell building is a San Francisco landmark, designed by George W. Kelham. It was one of the tallest buildings in San Francisco when it was built in 1930. It was occupied by Royal Dutch Shell oil company until the 1960s and is still one of the city's distinguished business addresses.