Merchant's Exchange Building (1903)

This facade composition became a prototype for the San Francisco office building throiugh the 1920s-and, as the Wells Fargo Bank across the street (464 California Street) shows, even later. The formula is a three-part vertical composition: with or without a mezzanine leve; generous classicist detailing at connecting planes, the cornice line, and especially the entrance; and a rusticated masonry shaft with singel-or-doubled-punched windows. Interestingly, this attitude marks a retreat from Burnham's earlier work with John Root where vertical piers and windows emphasized the steel frame. Here, the rough surface and small windows disguise structure and allude to pre-modern building types, an interesting commentary on the visual appearance sought by architects and large businesses for tall buildings during the early twentieth century. Inside, a barrel vaulted lobby leads to a sumptuous trading hall.

Merchant's Exchange Building (1903)
465 California
D.H. Burnham