Classical
Kohl Building
Kohl Building
400 Montgomery St.
Architect: Willis Polk
Designed by Percy and Polk in 1901, it shows Polk’s preoccupation with extravagant details as well as advanced construction. A rather plain structure up to the tenth-floor cornice, it suddenly turns into a riot of bold variations and exaggerations of Baroque and Classical styles (Partly lost with the removal of numerous lions heads in the recent interests of public safety).
The building is constructed around a steel frame, the interior employes metal lathe and plaster, the sheathing is of a handsome greenish-gray Colusa sandstone. Perhaps the first “fireproof” building in downtown San Francisco, it survived the 1906 fire intact above the fourth story, while all other buildings, once ignited, were gutted.
Alvinza Hayward, also one of Ralston’s Bank of California associates, put up the building which was later purchased by the Kohl interests. It has been said that the unusual “H” shape was the result of Mrs. Hayward’s superstitious regard for initials — a story not out of character with the nature of San Francisco’s first generation of millionaires.
400 Montgomery St.
Architect: Willis Polk
Designed by Percy and Polk in 1901, it shows Polk’s preoccupation with extravagant details as well as advanced construction. A rather plain structure up to the tenth-floor cornice, it suddenly turns into a riot of bold variations and exaggerations of Baroque and Classical styles (Partly lost with the removal of numerous lions heads in the recent interests of public safety).
The building is constructed around a steel frame, the interior employes metal lathe and plaster, the sheathing is of a handsome greenish-gray Colusa sandstone. Perhaps the first “fireproof” building in downtown San Francisco, it survived the 1906 fire intact above the fourth story, while all other buildings, once ignited, were gutted.
Alvinza Hayward, also one of Ralston’s Bank of California associates, put up the building which was later purchased by the Kohl interests. It has been said that the unusual “H” shape was the result of Mrs. Hayward’s superstitious regard for initials — a story not out of character with the nature of San Francisco’s first generation of millionaires.