{"nrhp_refnum":"97000043","name":"Martin Building","other_names":["Metropolitan Hotel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"220 Grand Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"South San Francisco","county":"San Mateo County","state":"CA","lat":37.65495957400003,"lon":-122.40999098699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-02-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Neo-Colonial style commercial and hotel building at Grand and Linden Avenues in South San Francisco, California, completed in 1914 and also known as the Metropolitan Hotel.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion A for community development, as the headquarters of the South San Francisco Land and Improvement Company, which created and developed the city. The building housed the land company, the Bank of South San Francisco and a hotel for workers drawn to the company's industries. It retains its character from the 1914-1946 period.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Grand and Linden Avenues in South San Francisco, this three-story brick building was completed in 1914 as the Metropolitan Hotel and headquarters of the South San Francisco Land and Improvement Company. It was named for William J. Martin, the company's head agent, known as \"The Father of South San Francisco.\" Built with a concrete frame after the 1906 earthquake damaged the company's earlier building, it was then the largest and tallest commercial structure in town. The hotel housed workers of the industries the company attracted until they could buy company homes. The ground floor held the Bank of South San Francisco, the land company offices and shops. The company, which turned a crossroads hamlet into the West Coast's first industrial suburb, occupied the building until 1956. Original features survive, including the hotel lobby, 68 rooms, bank counters and vault, and terra cotta detailing. The building was listed for its role in community development between 1914 and 1946.","period_of_significance":"1914-1946","architect_builder":"Martin, William J.","architectural_style":"Commercial Style (described in the narrative as Neo-Colonial)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Hotel with 68 rooms remains in use, with business offices on Linden Avenue; the two Grand Avenue tenant spaces were unoccupied at the time of the form. Street exteriors are in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.314761-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/97000043.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000043/11794ec302-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000043/11794ec302-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martin_Building,_220_Linden_Ave.,_South_San_Francisco,_CA_10-2-2011_6-27-18_PM.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martin_Building,_220_Linden_Ave.,_South_San_Francisco,_CA_10-2-2011_6-27-18_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861528","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133522278"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-mateo-county/martin-building-97000043/"}