Hallidie Building, San Francisco

Located in the Financial District of San Francisco, the Hallidie Building stands proudly on Sutter Street, positioned between Montgomery Street and Kearny Street. This office building, designed by architect Willis Polk, was dedicated to the memory of Andrew Smith Hallidie, a notable figure in San Francisco's cable car history. Its doors first opened in 1918. While often acknowledged as the first American building to showcase glass curtain walls, it was preceded by the Boley Clothing Company building in Kansas City, Missouri, designed by Louis Curtiss and completed in 1909.

In the early 1900s, lightweight and transparent glass curtain walls were not popular for skyscrapers. Willis Polk took a bold step by creating an all-glass facade for the Hallidie Building. He wanted more natural light, worked within budget constraints, and aimed for simpler construction. Polk's design maximized reinforced concrete's cantilevering capacity, producing an impressive result.

In April 2013, the Hallidie Building underwent a comprehensive two-year restoration after the City of San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection deemed its sheet metal friezes, cornices, balconies, and fire escapes unsafe.

Among its occupants, the Hallidie Building is home to the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Currently, the chapter is renovating the building's original concrete street-level retail space, predating the rest of the structure. The renovation aims to transform the space into a gallery, lecture hall, and cafe. Additionally, the building houses AIGA, the Center for Architecture + Design, Charles M. Salter Associates, Inc., and Coordinated Resources, Inc.