One Bush Plaza, also known as the Crown Zellerbach Building, is an office building in the western United States in San Francisco, California. Located on Bush Street and Battery Street at Market Street in the Financial District, the 20-story, 308-foot (94 m) building was completed in 1959.

One Bush Plaza
In 2021
One Bush Plaza is located in San Francisco County
One Bush Plaza
Location within San Francisco County
One Bush Plaza is located in California
One Bush Plaza
One Bush Plaza (California)
One Bush Plaza is located in the United States
One Bush Plaza
One Bush Plaza (the United States)
Alternative namesCrown Zellerbach Building
General information
TypeCommercial offices
Location1 Bush Street
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37°47′28″N 122°24′00″W / 37.791°N 122.4°W / 37.791; -122.4
Completed1959, 65 years ago
OwnerTishman Speyer
Height
Roof308 ft (94 m)
Technical details
Floor count20
Floor area439,000 sq ft (40,800 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Hertzka & Knowles
Structural engineerH.J. Brunnier Associates
Designated1987[1]
Reference no.183
References
[2][3][4]

History

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The building was originally the headquarters of Crown Zellerbach, a Fortune 500 forest products conglomerate acquired by Sir James Goldsmith in a 1985 hostile takeover.[5][6] The majority of the pulp and paper assets were sold to James River in 1986,[7][8][9] which in turn became a part of Georgia-Pacific in 2000. (The brown paper container division became Gaylord Container).[10] James River's headquarters were in Richmond, Virginia, and Gaylord's moved to suburban Chicago. The building was later the headquarters of the investment bank Hambrecht & Quist.

Constructed in the late 1950s, it was the first significant structure erected in downtown San Francisco in the thirty years following the start of the Great Depression. It was the first International Style building in San Francisco and one of the first such buildings in the U.S., being completed shortly after the Lever House and the Seagram Building, both in New York City. It was not, however, the first building in San Francisco to feature a glass curtain wall, that designation belonging to the Hallidie Building,[11] two blocks to the west.

One Bush Plaza was controversial due to the decision for it to face Bush Street instead of Market Street, the latter being in decline at the time of the building's construction. The building is notable for taking up an entire city block and being freestanding. It directly faces an Art Deco skyscraper, the Shell Building.

The architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed One Bush Plaza.

Awards

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  • 1959 Administrative Management Magazine – Office of the Year Award: Award of Merit
  • 1960 American Institute of Steel Construction – Award of Excellence
  • 1961 American Institute of Architects – Award of Merit
  • 1997 American Institute of Architects - California Council 25 Year Award[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks". City of San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  2. ^ "Emporis building ID 118712". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "One Bush Plaza". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ^ One Bush Plaza at Structurae
  5. ^ "Financier obtains control of Crown Zellerbach". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 26, 1985. p. 1B.
  6. ^ "Goldsmith wins in C-Z takeover". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. July 26, 1985. p. A13.
  7. ^ "James River plans to take over mill". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 17, 1985. p. 6B.
  8. ^ "Crown Z makes stock swap". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Washington). UPI. December 17, 1985. p. 13.
  9. ^ "James River to buy most of Zellerbach". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). December 17, 1985. p. B5.
  10. ^ "Hayford, Pomerantz to buy 2d paper products company". Chicago Tribune. September 20, 1986. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  11. ^ "Hallidie Building". Great Buildings Collection. Architecture Week. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
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