The Transamerica Pyramid is the second tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline. Its height is surpassed by Salesforce Tower. The building no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, which moved its U.S. headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland, but it is still associated with the company and is depicted in the company’s logo. Designed by architect William Pereira and built by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, at 853 ft (260 m), on completion in 1972 it was the eighth tallest building in the world.
Building facts:
There are 48 floors, 15 passenger elevators, 3 freight elevators, and 3,678 windows.
Because of the shape of the building, the majority of the windows can pivot 360 degrees so they can be washed from the inside.
The decorative aluminum spire at the top is 212-feet tall – roughly 20 stories.
The spire is actually hollow and lined with a 100-foot steel stairway at a 60 degree angle, followed by two steel ladders.
The conference room (with 360 degree views of the city) is located on the 48th floor and can be booked for $400-600 dollars…an hour.
The building is covered in crushed white quartz, giving it its pure white color.
It takes 18,000 work hours to get “brightened” every 10 years, last occurring in 2007.
The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two “wings” to accommodate an elevator shaft on the east and a stairwell and a smoke tower on the west.
