Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Also known as: Two Embarcadero Center West
Why it's listed
Occupying an entire half block at 400 Sansome Street in San Francisco's financial district, this eight-story bank was designed by George W. Kelham and first occupied in December 1923 as the home of the Twelfth District Federal Reserve Bank. Its brick walls are faced in Sierra White granite, and the facades read as two stacked three-story banking temples, with an Ionic portico set back from the street and topped by eight granite eagles. Inside, a travertine-finished lobby holds a 40-by-9-foot mural, The Traders of the Adriatic, by Jules Guerin, his only known San Francisco work. Structural engineer H. J. Brunnier worked with Kelham. The building was enlarged in stages between 1924 and 1957 and later altered inside. During 1925 excavation, workers found the remains of the Gold Rush sailing ship Apollo thirty feet down; forty artifacts were removed and the rest was covered again. The building is valued for its architecture, its designers and its role in the federal banking system.
Significance in brief: The building combines San Francisco's tradition of temple-style banks with the federal government's monumental Classical architecture. It is the work of architect George Kelham, muralist Jules Guerin and structural engineer H. J. Brunnier. It also covers the buried remains of the Gold Rush ship Apollo and served for about sixty years as head office of the Twelfth District Federal Reserve Bank.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89000009, listed July 31, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 400 Sansome St., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | July 31, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000009 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924-1982 |
| Architect / builder | Kelham, George W. |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Revival (Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Economics, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now listed with current function as commerce/trade/business; the form notes the bank moved out of the building after some sixty years as head office. Alterations include a new Battery Street entrance. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 37.79425, -122.40059 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89000009.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5440365
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.