Bank of California Building (San Francisco)

The Bank of California building features a facade of rusticated granite blocks that stretch upward toward a heavy, overhanging cornice. This structure served as the headquarters for the state’s oldest incorporated commercial bank, established in eighteen sixty-four by William Chapman Ralston. When the nineteen oh six earthquake struck, the building stood firm while its neighbors burned. Staff members hauled millions in gold and currency into the basement vault, where the cash survived the intense heat that leveled the surrounding blocks.