Financial Center Building

The last and one of the best of the several downtown buildings which loosely followed the three part compositional type as established by the merchant's exchange (260/15), and a corner anchor for the entire financial district of the 1906-1920's period. The capital is arcaded and within each arch form is a pair of arched, narrow windows, decorated metal window spandrels, and central medallion. A corbeled arch frieze supports the detailed cornice. The shaft has an undifferentiated pier and spandrel system with paired windows. Its red brick lends a rich textural backdrop to the street. Originally at the rusticated, arcaded base, a giant entry arch led to an elevator lobby dramatically designed using "walls of polished botticini marble with the elevator openings in carved marble, and doors of cast bronze. The overhead treatment represents a wood beam ceiling with set-in cast metal ornamental panels. The background (was)in rich tones of red, blue and black. In 1958, this lobby and the base were "modernized" by architects loubet and flynn. This included replacing the rusticated, arcaded base facade with undifferentiated flush stone panels with rectangular window openings. The building occupies the site of the old parrott building, a solid structure of chinese granite that survived the 1906 quake. -- from the San Francisco Property Information Map site

Also known as 500 California.