Bank of Canton

1. 1849

   A building put up here in 1849 held private assaying, smelting and minting works until 1851, was leased to the United States Assay Office from 1851 to 1853, and was bought by the government late in 1853 and made San Francisco's first United States Branch Mint.

   Bank of Canton of California Headquarters: Final Environmental Impact Report, 1982
2. 1854

   The first United States Branch Mint in California opened on the site; its original storage vaults survive.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
3. 1854–1874

   Agoston Haraszthy, later called the father of the modern California wine industry, the writer Bret Harte and the author J. Ross Browne were among those who worked in the Mint's early operations on this site.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
4. 1868

   Acting as an unofficial reserve bank, the Mint made a secret transfer of gold to stem a run on Ralston's Bank of California.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
5. 1874

   The mint building was turned into the United States Sub-Treasury in 1874, the quarters proved unworkable, and it was pulled down the same year.

   Bank of Canton of California Headquarters: Final Environmental Impact Report, 1982
6. 1877

   A four-storey building went up on this site between 1875 and 1877 to house the Sub-Treasury, and it survives inside the tower as City Landmark No. 34: about sixty feet square and 7,200 square feet in all, restored as the Pacific Heritage Museum to designs by Charles Hall Page and Associates, keeping its coin vault, a decorative column, its steel beam and corrugated iron floor system and its interior brick walls.

   Bank of Canton of California Headquarters: Final Environmental Impact Report, 1982
7. 1970

   Designated San Francisco Landmark No. 34, U.S. Mint and Subtreasury Building.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
8. April 9, 1970

   The building had just been sold to the Bank of Canton, which owned the adjacent parcels; its future use was undecided. The City Planning Commission adopted a resolution designating the original U.S. Mint and Subtreasury Building on Commercial Street as a City Landmark.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
9. June 15, 1972

   The City Planning Commission suspended action for 180 days on an application to demolish the Original U.S. Mint and Subtreasury, a designated landmark, and asked the Board of Supervisors to extend the suspension a further 180 days if the application was not withdrawn within 90 days.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
10. Jul 1981

    Permit 8106361S $$$ $28,697,497

    Building use: offices/bank.

11. Oct 1983

    Permit 8309902 $$$ $650,000

    Build out of undeveloped floors partitions, millwork.

12. Sep 1984

    Permit 8409607 $$$ $500,000

    Typical office alterations.

13. 1985

    Built.

14. Feb 1986

    Permit 8601638 $$$ $420,000

    Typical buil-out of new undevelop floor, new partitions.

15. Apr 1987

    Permit 8704559 $$$ $300,000

    Build out for undeveloped floor, partitions, ceiling.

16. Nov 2003

    Permit 200311109803 $$$ $350,000

    Oti-2 12th floor, el, me.

17. Oct 2009

    Permit 200910269866 $$$ $250,000

    17th floor. interior office tenant improvement incl. finishes of two new conference rooms. ada restrooms approved under permit application 2009.09.11.6642. mep under separate permit.

18. Mar 2012

    Permit 201203216515 $$$ $258,137

    13th floor: new carpet, paint, low walls (5'-0") and lunch room of 2 existing.

19. May 2013

    Issued Permit 201305156946 $$$ $696,000

    Replace 2 sets of vane axial supply fans with new fan wall array. replace 2 sets of fire smoke dampers.

20. Sep 2017

    Permit 201709016701 $$$ $800,000

    Suite 1100 -commercial tenant improvement on a single floor. new partitions, door, frames, ceiling. lighting, finishes, casework, electrical, mechanical sep permit. no structural req.

21. Sep 2017

    Permit 201709259439 $$$ $1,307,000

    14/f: t.i. work includes new partitions, doors, frames, ceiling, lightiung, finishes. electrical, mechanical & f/a-f/s under sep permits. no structural work required. maher n/a.

22. Jan 2018

    Issued Permit 201801229134 $$$ $400,000

    Building management control upgrade. n/a for maher ref permit application 201802141220 for smoke control narrative.

23. Sep 2018

    Permit 201809109530 $$$ $1,986,300

    17th floor. commercial t.i, new partitions, doors and frames, ceiling, lighting, finishes casework. electrical and mechanical on separate permit. n/a for maher.

24. Sep 2018

    Permit 201809109537 $$$ $350,000

    10th floor. elevator lobby and restrooms upgrade. new floor and wall finishes, ceiling lighting, door replacement, new countertops and sinks, new plumbing, fountain, toilet, partitions, painting, additional lighting & minor electrical required maher n/a.

25. Sep 2018

    Permit 201809241122 $$$ $244,933

    17/f: hvac mechanical plans for specified suite. t.i. project: new vav's with ddc controls associated ductwork, piping and air distribution grills/diffusers. ref t.i. pa201809109530. maher n/a.

26. Oct 2018

    Permit 201810243972 $$$ $879,000

    3rd fl suite 300: ti includes demolition of non-structural partitions & building new non-structural partitions, mep & life safety & sprinklers under sep permit. maher na.

27. Nov 2018

    Permit 201811307180 $$$ $435,000

    6th floor: suite 600 t.i. including demolition of non structural partitions and building new non-str. partitions. meps submitted seperately. life safty and sprinklers submitted seperately if needed. n/a for maher.

28. Dec 2018

    Permit 201812047367 $$$ $296,052

    3rd fl: hvac mechanical plsn for spec'd suite ti project. mew vavs with ddc controls associated ductwork, piping, and air distribution. ref permit application 201809109530.

29. Apr 2019

    Permit 201904188368 $$$ $885,000

    13th fl, ste 1300 - ti includes demolition of non structural partitions and build new structural partitions. mep's life safety & sprinkler under separate permit (building fully sprinklered).

30. Jul 2019

    Permit 201907176142 $$$ $500,000

    16th floor - ti - includes the demolition of non structural partitions and building new non-structural partitions. (mep/fire/life safety under sep permit).

31. Sep 2019

    Permit 201909161690 $$$ $483,513

    Tenant improvement to include demolition of non structural partitons building new non structural partitions mep and fire life safety under sep permit.

32. Feb 2020

    Permit 202002134365 $$$ $394,000

    Ste 1210 - ti improvement to include the demolition of non-structural partitions and building of new non-structural partitions mep & fire life safety under sep permit n/a maher.

DBI holds 343 permits for this parcel, most of them tenant improvements on individual floors. The timeline shows the 24 largest by stated cost, plus the earliest on file; the DBI query in the sources below returns all 343. 2 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 2 expired permits are not shown. The city's Modern & Postmodern styles context statement dates this building 1984; the assessor's roll records it as built 1985. The 2025 assessor's roll dates this parcel 1985, which is the headquarters tower built around the restored Sub-Treasury.