Old Federal Reserve Bank Building (San Francisco)

The Old Federal Reserve Bank building at four hundred Sansome Street stands as a monument to American financial power. When construction began in the early twentieth century, the site required careful engineering because the foundation rests upon the buried remnants of the Apollo, a Gold Rush era ship that was scuttled in the bay long ago. Architect George W. Kelham designed the structure with a unique, layered aesthetic that blends two distinct styles. The base features a pure Beaux Arts colonnade with Ionic columns, while the upper levels showcase the emerging Moderne fashion of the nineteen twenties. A series of stone eagles perch above the entrance, serving as symbols of the federal authority that once operated from within these walls.