Pacific Telephone Building

1. 1924

   Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building, designed by Alexander Aimwell Cantin. In collaboration with Miller & Pflueger.

   Architecture, Planning & Preservation Professionals: A Collection of Biographies, adopted 2021
2. 1924

   Its lifts were supplied by the Otis Elevator Company and assembled at the company's plant at 1 Beach Street.

   National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
3. 1925

   Completed as the Pacific Telephone Building, a 26-storey office tower then the tallest building in San Francisco and the foremost example of Art Deco architecture in the Central SoMa area. Its design, like the Chronicle building's, shows the influence of Eliel Saarinen's 1922 drawing for the Chicago Tribune Tower.

   Central SoMa Historic Context Statement, adopted 2016
4. 1925

   The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building of 1925, clad in terra cotta and designed by Timothy Pflueger for Miller & Pflueger; among the city's iconic Art Deco buildings.

   Modern Architecture and Landscape Design Context Statement, adopted 2011
5. 1925

   The first skyscraper erected south of Mission Street.

   South of Market Area Historic Context Statement, adopted 2011
6. September 27, 1946

   Photographed.

   San Francisco Subjects Photograph Collection (SFP 162), San Francisco Public Library
7. November 23, 1951

   Photographed.

   San Francisco Subjects Photograph Collection (SFP 162), San Francisco Public Library
8. Jul 1981

   Permit 8106430 $$$ $60,000

   Additions alterations or repairs.

9. Jun 1982

   Permit 8205003 $$$ $4,000,000

   Building use: offices.

10. Aug 1985

    Permit 8509494 $$$ $12,000,000

    To complete work stated on application no. 8205003.

11. 2008

    Recorded in the city's 2008 survey of the Transit Center District, adopted in 2012, as a contributor to the proposed New Montgomery, Mission & Second Historic District.

    Transit Center District Survey, adopted 2012
12. Oct 2011

    Permit 201110176931 $$$ $10,000,000

    Full seismic upgrade of existing office building.

13. Oct 2011

    Permit 201110317965 $$$ $2,500,000

    Interior non-structural demolition on all floors. all work to comply with afbc ab-017.

14. Nov 2011

    Permit 201111179166 $$$ $20,000,000

    Exterior restoration of existing historic building. construction permit, fire alarm, sprinklers, standpipe, mechanical, electrical under separate permits or addendums. project to meet cfc chapter 14 during construction.

15. Dec 2011

    Permit 201112221187 $$$ $20,000,000

    Interior core and shell rennovation of existing office building. all exterior & structural work under separate permits. work includes mechanical & electrical. sprinklers, fire alarm, life safety & generator separate permit.

16. Nov 2012

    Permit 201211154298 $$$ $1

    Fire sprinklers for entire building. replaces permit application 2012-08-16-7549. 2445 sprinklers.

17. Dec 2012

    Permit 201212176393 $$$ $1,200,000

    9th floor: interior t.i. to existing office space. work to include partitions, millwork dry wall, finishes and mep.

18. Dec 2012

    Permit 201212176394 $$$ $1,200,000

    6th floor: interior t.i. to existing office space. work to include partitions, millwork drywall, finishes and mep.

19. Dec 2012

    Permit 201212196591 $$$ $1,340,000

    11th floor-interior tenant improvement to existing 11th floor office space. work oi include partitions, millwork, drywall, finishes, and mep sprinklers and fire alarm under seperate permits.

20. Jul 2013

    Issued Permit 201307172012 $$$ $1,018,000

    17th/18th/19th floors-non structural demolition, construction of new interior partitions, new doors, glazing, finishes, flooring, cabinetry, breakroom & drinking fountains. mep, sprinklers, fire alarm under seperate permit- new occupant load and sffd assembly permit required.

21. Aug 2013

    Permit 201308063613 $$$ $3,400,000

    New full service restaurant on ground floor. work includes new structure, new interior wall partitions, mechanical, electrical, lighting food service equipment, fixtures, furnishings finishes.

22. Sep 2013

    Permit 201309187169 $$$ $1,400,000

    14th & 15th floors-interior tenant improvement including mechanical & electrical.

23. May 2014

    Permit 201405085258 $$$ $678,000

    Construction of non-structural partitions, doors, frames, hardware, millwork, drywall & acoustic ceiling, grid/tile, finishes. mechanical, electrical and plumbing are design build. fire sprinkler & life safety is design build by general contractor. n/a ordinance #155-13.

24. Sep 2014

    Permit 201409095863 $$$ $1,500,000

    22nd fl ti: interior office remodel. constructruction of non related partiton and interior finishes. sprinklers, fire alarm, mechanical and electrical work separate permits.

25. Oct 2019

    Permit 201910245542 $$$ $1,457,820

    19th fl - ti work includes non-structural demolition, new non-structural walls, finishes, fixtures. mep deferred.

26. Feb 2022

    Permit 202202017102 $$$ $1,657,445

    13th fl: demolition & construction of non-structural partitions, doors, finishes, lighting, ceilings. mep deferred.

27. Feb 2022

    Permit 202202188310 $$$ $1,386,000

    18th floor: interior t.i. new non structural partitions, doors, ceiling, glazing, finishes, millwork, new single occupant restrooms and microkitchen. new mep systems and service room.

28. Jul 2022

    Permit 202207128265 $$$ $5,183,000

    11th fl: t.i. demolition & new partitions, ceiling, lighting finishes, restroom upgrades, and life safety devices.

29. Nov 2022

    Permit 202211106259 $$$ $1,804,318

    12/f: full t.i: partial non-structural interior demolition, new non-structural partition, ceiling, lighting and finishes. new all gender restroom, new mothers' room, new employee cafe with no prep. (all prepacked food, serve self).

30. Dec 2022

    Permit 202212158443 $$$ $1,200,000

    10th fl: demolition and construction of new office. new work areas, officds, meeting rooms, all gender restrooms, lactation room and break rooms. mep included.

31. Dec 2023

    Permit 202312122396 $$$ $400,000

    4/f: t.i. demolition existing and construct new non structural partitions, doors, mep, finishes. elevator lobby upgrade and accessibility upgrade under permit application 202112104161.

32. Dec 2023

    Permit 202312273161 $$$ $1,200,000

    2/f: t.i. demolition of existing and construction of new non structural partitions, doors, glazing, finishes, millwork, mechanical and electrical.

DBI holds 419 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 419. 7 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 1 cancelled permit is not shown. The report gives this building's address as 134-40 New Montgomery Street and its date as 1925 in most passages, and as 130 New Montgomery Street and 1924 in one. The Modern design context statement prints the telephone building's address as 140 Montgomery Street in one passage and 140 New Montgomery in another.