Unfolding the Financial District: Design adventures in San Francisco's hub

(139 reviews)

San Francisco, California audio tour: Unfolding the Financial District: Design adventures in San Francisco's hub

This is a 1.7mi walking tour

It takes an average of 75 mins to complete.

San Francisco, California

The United States

$9.99

Access all 47 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

If you love architecture, San Francisco’s most surprising landscape may be the historic Financial District.

From afar it looks like a thicket of towers — but once you look closely, you'll discover a neighborhood inhabited by gargoyles and walruses where redwood trees hug an 850-foot pyramid, past collides with present, and busy streets pass by an alleyway lined with outdoor cafes.

I'm John King, the San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic, and I’ve been writing about the city’s architecture and public spaces for the past 20 years. I never walk through the Financial District without noticing something new that I want to tell people about, and the sights here are even more fascinating when you know the stories behind them – from political deals to famous tenants to the hidden clues that show how the district has evolved.

Here are a few examples of what you’ll encounter on this tour:

The identity of shrouded sculptures that look down on San Francisco's famous cable cars
An ornate office building that's only 20 feet wide
A 20-story metal high-rise perched atop two classical banks
Stunning art deco lobbies
Why everybody was wrong about the Transamerica Pyramid
The office of fictional detective Sam Spade

If you’re a new visitor to San Francisco, this tour is a revelation. And if you’re a long-time resident? I promise fresh discoveries as well.

The route is compact, and lasts about an hour. But with plenty of plazas and cafes along the way, you can linger as long as you want.

Tour Producer

San Francisco Chronicle

3 tours

The San Francisco Chronicle has been covering breaking news and life in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1865. Our journalists know the city's riveting tales and secret corners better than anyone.

Preview Location

Location 1

Setting the stage at Market and Montgomery

Most people only know San Francisco's historic Financial District from afar, a cluster of boxy towers with a few dramatic peaks. But it's a great spot for a crash course in how cities evolve.

I'm John King, the San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic, and I’ve mapped ... Most people only know San Francisco's historic Financial District from afar, a cluster of boxy towers with a few dramatic peaks. But it's a great spot for a crash course in how cities evolve.

I'm John King, the San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic, and I’ve mapped out a compact walking tour to show you one facet of what makes San Francisco such a memorable metropolis. We’ll be walking north through the Financial District, going as far as the Transamerica Pyramid and then strolling back. Along the way we'll navigate everything from lavish pre-earthquake landmarks to stylish markers of the Mad Men era, plus spots where the old and new collides.

You should be standing by the white set of stairs. There’s no better place to start than in this small plaza, which opened in 1969 after the construction of the black granite tower that's looking over your shoulder.

Two major streets meet here -- Market, the 120-foot wide artery that marked the edge of the district until recent years, and Montgomery Street, known for generations as "Wall Street of the West." In 1940, the classic WPA guide to the Bay Area described Montgomery as a "narrow canyon of skyscrapers" -- a description that still holds true.

Before we start strolling, let's spend a few moments here, getting orientated with the buildings around us. Then we will head up Montgomery Street with Market Street at our back.

If you're facing Post Street, directly across it and in front of you is 1 Montgomery Street. It's the low building with the classical arches -- and if it looks stunted, there's a reason. The building began life in 1908 as a 12-story tower designed by Willis Polk, a noted architect we'll encounter again. But in 1983, planners allowed the upper floors to be lopped off -- a development deal that paved the way for a tower down the block. In return, the developer was required to put a public garden on top of what was left, with benches where downtown workers could enjoy lunch.

Rising up behind Polk's sad remnant is a personal favorite of mine: the 25-story Hunter-Dulin Building from 1926, complete with a steep mansard roof topped by copper spires that could have come from some super-sized French chateaux. Joseph Alioto, the city's powerful mayor in the early 1970s, once had his office there; Sam Spade of "Maltese Falcon" fame may have, too, according to fans of the fictional gumshoe. True or not, this statuesque shaft is tied to the city's cultural landscape.

Across the street on the right is something much different: 44 Montgomery St., a brash but no-nonsense tower. It was our tallest skyscraper when it opened in 1967, gleaming and crisp with aluminum stripes that streak straight into the heavens, rising from the past to announce that Today had arrived.

Not everybody was thrilled -- and within five years there was a ballot initiative that tried and failed to restrict new buildings to 72 feet in height. Now, this 565-foot shaft is a piece of history itself, a mere 15th on the list of Ess Eff towers -- and whatever you think of midcentury architecture, architect John Graham's creation is dazzling when the sun hits it just right.

We'll shortly get going. First, though, let me briefly explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically at the right time and place. This means that you should be able to put your phone away now. I’ll tell you where and when to turn and what buildings to focus on. If I'm silent in between locations, that's normal.

One warning – this tour is framed by big buildings, which can affect the accuracy of your GPS. If you run into any issues, just look at the map on your screen. And if you get off track without noticing, VoiceMap will let you know.

But enough talking! Time to start walking. With Post Street on your left, walk over to Montgomery and take a left across Post. Feel free to peek inside the lobby of 1 Montgomery St, then continue up Montgomery Street. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

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Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Major Landmarks

Belden Alley
Transamerica Pyramid
Montgomery Street
Belden Place

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
2 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA
Total distance

3km
Final location
598 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA
Distance back to start location

84.97m

Directions to Starting Point

1 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA

The tour begins in the plaza at Market and Montgomery streets, on the west side of the intersection. Face Post Street and stand near the front steps at 1 Post Street.

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

If you want to sip something hot en route, Coffee Bar at 101 Montgomery St. is a great place to stop.

Along the walk, Belden Alley offers an abundance of options for food or drink.

Just north of Redwood Park is Jackson Square — a historic district that includes High Horse, a cozy cocktail bar with a nice parklet across from the Pyramid — and for design buffs, the one-of-a-kind William Stout Architectural Books at 804 Montgomery St.

NOTE: If you're doing the tour on a weekend, many spots in the district are closed. Blue Bottle Coffee is open on weekends at 199 Sutter St. (And yes, it has a bathroom!)

Best time of day

Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. is best, since there can be lots of rush hour traffic. It's quiet on the weekends, but you won't be able to enter buildings or the bucolic Redwood Park.

Precautions

Look both ways before crossing the street!

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”