Financial District
About Financial District
The Financial District is the cluster of office towers along Montgomery, California, Sansome, and Battery Streets at the eastern edge of downtown San Francisco. It has been the historic center of West Coast banking and finance since the 19th century. Referred to as the Wall Street of the west coast.
What to See & Do
The Transamerica Pyramid at 600 Montgomery Street was completed in 1972. It is no longer the tallest building in the city (Salesforce Tower, completed in 2018, holds that title) but it remains the most distinctive on the skyline. The Transamerica Redwood Park, a half-acre redwood grove at the building’s base, is open to the public.
The City Club of San Francisco at 155 Sansome Street holds Diego Rivera’s 1931 fresco “Allegory of California” in the stairwell. The club is private and public access to the fresco is limited; call ahead.
The Bank of Italy building at 552 Montgomery Street, later the Bank of America headquarters, is a San Francisco Designated Landmark for its marble lobby. The exterior is accessible from the street.
After 6 PM, weekday foot traffic in the district drops sharply as workers leave for BART and Caltrain.
Where to Eat & Drink
Lunch (roughly 11:30 AM to 2 PM on weekdays) is when the district is busiest. Tadich Grill at 240 California Street claims a founding year of 1849, which puts it among the oldest restaurants in California by most accounts. The restaurant has occupied several locations over the years; the current address has been the site since 1967. Burma Superstar Express is the quick-service downtown version of the Burma Superstar restaurant in the Richmond.
The Ferry Building is a few blocks east when you want waterfront air and the farmers market.
Getting There
Every Muni Metro line stops at Montgomery Station. BART runs from Montgomery to the East Bay and SFO. The Financial District is at the center of the city’s transit network.
Where to Eat
All restaurants →
Where to Drink
All bars →
Things to Do
All activities →Transamerica Redwood Park
A half-acre redwood grove at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid. Free, quiet at weekday lunch, and open to the public again since the 2024 renovation.
Lotta’s Fountain
Cast-iron fountain at Market, Geary, and Kearny, dedicated September 9, 1875 as a gift to the city from actress Lotta Crabtree. Survived the 1906 earthquake and became the post-quake message board for finding missing family; the annual April 18, 5:12am commemoration has run since 1919. Free, on a downtown traffic island.
Heineman Building
A 10-story Edwardian on a lot barely 20 feet wide at 130 Bush, designed by George Applegarth in 1910 as a necktie and suspender factory. Glazed terra cotta, hammered copper panels, prismatic bow windows. Look up between Battery and Sansome.
