| Central Tower | |
| Location: | 703 Market Street San Francisco, California |
| Coordinates: | 37.7872°N -122.4039°W |
| Highest Region: | San Francisco |
| Highest Prev: | Chronicle Building |
| Highest Next: | Standard Oil Building |
| Completion Date: | 1898 1938 (art deco/art moderne renovations) |
| Building Type: | Commercial offices |
| Roof: | 91m (299feet) |
| Floor Count: | 21 |
| Architect: | Reid & Reid Albert Roller (renovations) |
| Owner: | RKI 703 Investors LLC |
| References: | [1] |
Central Tower is a 91m (299feet) 21-story office building at Market and Third Streets in San Francisco, California. The building has undergone numerous renovations since its completion in 1898 as the Call Building. It was later known as the Spreckels Building.
In 1890, M. H. de Young, owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, built San Francisco's first skyscraper, the 218feet Chronicle Building, to house his newspaper. In response, John D. Spreckels and his father Claus Spreckels purchased the San Francisco Call in 1895 and commissioned a tower of their own that would dwarf the Chronicle Building.[2] In September 1895, The Call wrote:
The building eventually stood 315 feet (96 m) tall with an ornate baroque dome - which housed the offices of Reid & Reid, the building's architects[3] - and four corner cupolas when construction finished in 1898. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River for many years. The structure was badly burned and damaged by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, although the building did not collapse.
After the fire, The Call reopened its offices at a new location, The Montgomery, and the former Call Building became known as the Spreckels Building. In 1938 Albert Roller completely refurbished Central Tower. The building's height was reduced to 298 feet (91 m) and the number of stories was increased from 15 to 21; the ornate dome and the cupolas atop the building were removed.[4]