The Montgomery Block, also known as Monkey Block and Halleck's Folly, was a historic building active from 1853 to 1959, and was located in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California. It was San Francisco's first fireproof and earthquake resistant building. It came to be known as a Bohemian center, from the late 19th to the middle of the 20th-century. Montgomery Block and later the site has been a registered

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

since March 29, 1933.

History

It was located at 628 Montgomery Street, on the southeast corner of its intersection with Washington Street, today the location of the Transamerica Pyramid. The four-story building was erected in 1853 by Henry Wager Halleck, later general in chief of the Union Army in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, in the "

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" red-light district.Leah Caracappa
The Bohemians of San Francisco's 'Monkey Block'
Poetrybay, Winter 2005 edition The four-stories Montgomery Block was the tallest building west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

when it was built in 1853. It was designed by architect G.P. Cummings. San Franciscans called it "Halleck's Folly" because it was built on a raft of redwood logs. Also known as the Monkey Block, from 'Monty', it housed many well-known lawyers, financiers, writers, actors, and artists. It also hosted many frequenters of Coppa's restaurant, site of Goops murals, and illustrious visitors, among them '' The Crowd'' literary group,

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

, George Sterling, Lola Montez, Lotta Crabtree,

Gelett Burgess Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an American artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. He was an important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his ico ...

(and 'Les Jeunes'), Maynard Dixon,

Frank Norris Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. (March 5, 1870 – October 25, 1902) was an American journalist and novelist during the Progressive Era, whose fiction was predominantly in the naturalism (literature), naturalist genre. His notable works include ''M ...

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

, the

Edwin Booth Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American stage actor and theatrical manager who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Th ...

s, and

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. On May 14, 1856, the editor of the ''

Daily Evening Bulletin Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'',

James King of William James King of William (January 28, 1822 – May 20, 1856) was a crusading San Francisco, California, newspaper editor whose assassination by James P. Casey, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1856 resulted in the establishment ...

, died in the Montgomery Block, having been shot by James P. Casey, a city supervisor who felt slighted by King's anti-corruption crusading journalism. For a short time in 1878, the California Supreme Court was located on the Montgomery Block. The building survived the 1906 earthquake and fire.

Demolition and legacy

The Montgomery Block was demolished in 1959, even though a preservation movement had begun to emerge in San Francisco. It was replaced by a parking lot and later, the Transamerica Pyramid. Historian Robert O’Brien had warned "Anyone who tears down the Montgomery Block is tearing down more than four stories of bricks: he is destroying one of the last monuments to a brave city, and many are the reproachful ghosts that would haunt him". Author Helen Holdredge said "it is incredible to me that San Franciscans should be so little regardful of their past - every room of that building is filled with history". The building is remembered for its historic importance as a bohemian center of the city. At his inauguration as Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 1998,

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. An author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, and ...

mentioned "the classic old Montgomery Block building, the most famous literary and artistic structure in the West".

References

External links

California Landmarks in San Francisco
{{Authority control History of San Francisco Demolished buildings and structures in San Francisco Office buildings completed in 1853 Buildings and structures demolished in 1959 California Historical Landmarks Demolished buildings and structures in California Landmarks in San Francisco Culture of San Francisco San Francisco Bay Area literature 1853 establishments in California 1959 disestablishments in California Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area

History

Demolition and legacy

References

Further reading

External links