650 California Street, also known as the Hartford Building, is a 34-story, 142 m (466 feet) office tower on the northwestern edge of San Francisco's Financial District.[4] The tower is located on California Street on the edge of Chinatown, and not far from 555 California Street. 650 California is visible from every direction except from the southeast, where the Financial District skyscrapers block the view.

650 California Street
In 2021
650 California Street is located in San Francisco
650 California Street
Location within San Francisco
650 California Street is located in California
650 California Street
650 California Street (California)
650 California Street is located in the United States
650 California Street
650 California Street (the United States)
Alternative namesHartford Building
Record height
Preceded byRuss Building
Surpassed by44 Montgomery
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial offices
Location650 California Street
San Francisco
Coordinates37°47′34″N 122°24′19″W / 37.792833°N 122.405194°W / 37.792833; -122.405194
Completed1964; Dinwiddie Construction Company
OwnerColumbia Property Trust Inc.
Height
Roof142 m (466 ft)
Technical details
Floor count34
Floor area461,000 sq ft (42,800 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
References
[1][2][3]

Description

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The building was designed by Edward Charles Bassett of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Hartford Insurance, its initial tenant.[4] It is architecturally significant, featuring a tall modernist lobby, high ceilings, and an exterior skeleton of floor-to-ceiling windows recessed into a square gridwork of precast white reinforced concrete.[5]

When this tower was completed in 1964, it was the second in San Francisco larger than 400,000 sq ft (37,000 m2).[6] For a time it was also California's tallest building, replacing both the Russ Building in San Francisco and the Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles, California.[4] It is one of 39 San Francisco high rises reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as potentially vulnerable to a large earthquake, due to a structural deficiency.[7]

650 California was acquired for US$160 million by the Pivotal Group in 2000,[6] and later sold to private investors, A-650 California St. LLC, and AEW Capital Management in 2007.[8] The tower was acquired by Tishman Speyer and partner Prudential Real Estate Investors in 2012 for about US$230 million.[9] Tishman undertook a US$14 million renovation, which included a remodeled lobby by New York-based firm MdeAS Architects. Tishman sold 650 California to Columbia Property Trust Inc. in September 2014 for US$309 million.[10]

650 California Street passed the certification requirements for the Gold Level of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating in June 2011.[11] The LEED building certification system is a program for rating the design, construction and operation of environmentally and socially responsible buildings.

The building is the fictional setting of Doris Martin's workplace in The Doris Day Show.[citation needed]

After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the company ceased paying rent for its 30th floor office rental. In response, the building's landlord filed court papers in San Francisco State Court.[12][needs update]

Tenants

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Key tenants include Access Communications, Affirm, AppDirect, Analysis Group, CrossInstall, Credit Suisse, Dentsu International, Omnicom Group Inc., Recommind, Twitter, and Vector Capital.[13][12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Emporis building ID 118886". Emporis. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "650 California Street". SkyscraperPage.
  3. ^ 650 California Street at Structurae
  4. ^ a b c "650 California Street". Emporis. Archived from the original on November 18, 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Betty J. Blum (1989). Edward Charles Bassett (1921-1999), oral history. Art Institute of Chicago. Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  6. ^ a b "Pivotal LLC purchases 650 California Street". Pivotal Group. 2000-10-13. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  7. ^ Fuller, Thomas (2018-06-14). "At Risk in a Big Quake: 39 of San Francisco's Top High Rises". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  8. ^ "650 California Street". Pivotal Group. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  9. ^ J.K. Dineen & Blanca Torres (May 25, 2012). "Tishman's 650 Cal buy adds to recent string of big deals". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Mills, David (September 10, 2014). "Office building at 650 California purchased for $309 million". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "Certified Project Directory" Archived 2008-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, U.S. Green Building Council, Gold Level LEED-EB:OM v2009 June 2011
  12. ^ a b Mandler, C (1 January 2023). "Twitter sued for nonpayment of over $136,000 in rent on its San Francisco office". CBS News. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Significant 4Q10 Lease Transactions" Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, MarketBeat San Francisco Office Report, Cushman & Wakefield, Oct-Dec 2010.