456 Montgomery Plaza is a , 26-
story class-A office skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
on
Montgomery Street in the
Financial District of
San Francisco,
California.
History
456 Montgomery, completed in August 1985, is a 26-story steel frame high-rise office tower rising above two circa 1907
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
granite banking facades. Serving as the primary building entrance at 456 Montgomery is the former bank of
Borel & Co., designed by
Albert Pissis, while at the corner of Montgomery and Sacramento Streets is the former
Italian American Bank headquarters by
Howard & Galloway that now fronts a leased commercial banking space at 460 Montgomery Street.
The modern tower retains the classic temple facades at its base. Preserving the two landmark facades took advantage of a new, and at times controversial, urban design precedent as illustrated by other similar projects such as 353 Sacramento and One Sansome Streets. All three of these projects serve to varying degrees of success as examples of a design strategy intended to resolve conflicts between the architectural preservation and development communities.
[Robert Gyori, architect representing building owners]
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in San Francisco
References
{{Buildings in San Francisco, state=collapsed
Financial District, San Francisco
Office buildings completed in 1985
Skyscraper office buildings in San Francisco