{"nrhp_refnum":"74000555","name":"Jessie Street Substation","other_names":["Pacific Gas &amp","Electric Co.Stevenson St. Substation,Central S"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"222-226 Jessie St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Francisco","county":"San Francisco","state":"CA","lat":37.785978114000045,"lon":-122.40372392199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial electrical substation at 222-226 Jessie Street in San Francisco, first built in 1881 and rebuilt and enlarged in 1905-1909 to designs by Willis Polk for the San Francisco Gas and Electric Company and later Pacific Gas and Electric.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine example of early twentieth century classical architecture in the Bay Area and one of the most interesting buildings of its type in California. It was an early effort by its owners to turn utilitarian structures into civic ornaments, an offshoot of the City Beautiful Movement. Designer Willis Polk was a leading California architect, and critics of the period praised his work for the company.","narrative":"Tucked into a blind alley near downtown San Francisco, this reinforced concrete substation is faced in brick, with a south facade of cream-colored terra cotta ornament. A tall central arch carries the inscription \"Central Station\" and the date MCMV. A small side entrance is topped by a sculpted group of four cherubs with garlands. The plant began in 1881, was enlarged in 1883 and 1892, and was redesigned by Willis Polk in 1905. Fire in February 1906 and then the earthquake and fire that April destroyed the work in progress, and Polk drew new plans, followed by an eastern annex planned in 1909. It generated and switched electricity for Pacific Gas and Electric and its predecessor until the late 1960s. The nomination values the facade's handling of classical elements and sees the building as an early step in the company's effort to give its utility buildings civic dignity. It was scheduled for demolition for the Yerba Buena Center.","period_of_significance":"20th Century (specific dates 1905, 1906, 1909)","architect_builder":"Willis Polk (of Wright and Polk, later D.H. Burnham and Co.)","architectural_style":"Early twentieth century classical architecture","criteria":[],"status_note":"Electrical equipment removed in the late 1960s and the building has been empty since; condition listed as good; scheduled for demolition for Yerba Buena Center at the time of nomination.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.647281-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/74000555.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861183","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-francisco/jessie-street-substation-74000555/"}