Wasn’t the Flood Building San Francisco’s largest building when it opened in 1904? Here at 870 Market Street stands a testament to San Francisco’s resilience. This is the Flood Building.
The Flood Building is a 12-story highrise. It stands tall in the downtown shopping district. You will find it on the corner of Powell Street next to Hallidie Plaza. The Powell Street BART Station entrance is also nearby.
Albert Pissis designed the Flood Building. James L. Flood commissioned it. He was the son of millionaire James Clair Flood. The Flood Building is one of the few major buildings in San Francisco that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. As of 2024 the Flood family still owns it.
Architecture critic John King described the Flood Building well. He called it twelve stories of orderly pomp. Its rounded prow commands the corner of Powell and Market Streets. Every detail feels rooted and right. The tall storefronts beckon cable car daytrippers. The sandstone façade is a baroque cliff with deep-chiseled windows.
The Flood Building is Baroque Revival in style. It features a steel frame clad in grey Colusa sandstone. A lobby with red marble columns runs from Market to Ellis Street. The office floors surround a lightwell in a wedge shape. Corridors boast white marble flooring and veined white marble walls. The wooden doors still have openable transom windows. The Flood Building became a San Francisco landmark in 1982.
Before the Flood Building, Baldwin’s Hotel and Theatre stood here. “Lucky” Baldwin owned it. A fire destroyed it in 1898. James L. Flood purchased the land in 1902. He wanted to honor his father James Clair Flood. Construction cost $1.5 million.
The Flood Building remarkably survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. Its steel frame and sandstone cladding proved strong. Restoration took two years. The Flood Building reopened in 1907. Southern Pacific Railroad became its primary tenant until 1917. Afterward, the Flood Building became a medical center. It housed dental and medical offices through the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
During World War II, the building continued as medical offices. In 1950, a proposal came from F. W. Woolworth Company. They wanted to replace it with a modern store. The Navy requisitioned the building for logistics during the Korean War. After the war, Woolworth’s opened a store in the basement and first two floors in 1952.
The Flood Building was renovated in the 1990s for $15 million. A bust of James L. Flood by his daughter Mary Ellen Flood Stebbins was installed in the lobby.
Southern Pacific Railroad once had its headquarters here. The Pinkerton Detective Agency also had an office. Novelist Dashiell Hammett worked there. He based his fictional Continental Detective Agency in the Flood Building.
The Flood Building has housed many consulates. These included Mexico, Nicaragua, and Chile. In 1975, demonstrators took over the South Vietnam consulate.
From 1952 to 1993, Woolworth’s was the largest in the chain. The store closed in 1997. Later, flagship stores like Gap, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie occupied the retail space.
Today, the Flood Building faces new challenges. It remains an icon. It reminds us of San Francisco’s enduring spirit. The Flood Building is a landmark worth remembering.