Pacific Gas and Electric Company General Office Building and Annex

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company General Office Building at two hundred forty-five Market Street stands as a monument to the corporate ambition of the roaring twenties. When you look at the lower stories, notice the intricate carvings of rams heads worked into the stonework. These details are part of the original design by the architectural firm Bakewell and Brown, who chose these classical motifs to symbolize power and light for the utility company. The building was constructed between nineteen twenty-three and nineteen twenty-five and features a distinctive terra cotta facade meant to gleam under the sunlight. You might also spot the giant order of applied Doric columns near the top of the structure, a design choice that echoes the massive dome of the San Francisco City Hall.