Montgomery Block

The Montgomery Block built in 1853 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. 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, in the "Barbary Coast" red-light district. Also known as the Monkey Block, it housed many well-known lawyers, financiers, writers, actors, and artists. It also hosted many illustrious visitors, among them Jack London, George Sterling, Lola Montez, Lotta Crabtree, Gelett Burgess, Maynard Dixon, Frank Norris, Ambrose Bierce, Bret Harte, the Booths, and Mark Twain. The site of Montgomery Block is now registered as a California Historical Landmark.

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