National Register of Historic Places in San Francisco

National Register #09001118: Medical-Dental Office Building at 450 Sutter Street
5 February 2012

National Register #09001118: Medical-Dental Office Building at 450 Sutter Street
28 November 2019

National Register #09001118: Medical-Dental Office Building at 450 Sutter Street
28 November 2019

National Register #09001118: Medical-Dental Office Building at 450 Sutter Street
28 November 2019

National Register #09001118: Medical-Dental Office Building at 450 Sutter Street
28 November 2019

(Click Photos to Zoom)

National Register #09001118
Medical-Dental Office Building
450 Sutter Street
Built 1929

The Medical-Dental Office Building, commonly called 450 Sutter, was designed by Miller & Pflueger. It is one of the most innovative skyscrapers built in the United States during the 1920s. Pflueger wrapped the building in a thin terracotta and glass curtain wall, with delicate spandrels ornamented with Mayan-inspired patterns. The windows wrap around the corners, contributing to the lightweight appearance of the twenty-six story building.

As with the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph building, Pflueger designed a spectacular lobby for 450 Sutter, eighteen feet wide and four stories high, with burgundy marble walls and shining aluminum and bronze cast panels embossed with Mesoamerican pictographs.

Both the exterior and lobby were early examples of the Mayan Deco architectural style.

In 2009, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors renamed the alley behind 450 Sutter to Timothy Pflueger Place.

Source: NRHP Nomination #100008228 for the Timothy L. Pflueger House on Guerrero Street in San Francisco.

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