After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire destroyed the previous Hearst Building at this location, Phoebe Apperson Hearst commissioned the New York architectural firm of Kirby, Petit & Green to design this new building which is a notable example of early fire and earthquake resistant construction.

This intersection became the heart of San Francisco and was called “newspaper angle” because of the odd-shaped corner configuration and because buildings on the opposite corners of the intersection housed the Call and the Chronicle newspapers.

In 1938, Julia Morgan remodeled the main entry, the lobby and the parapet. The entry features twenty cast bronze medallions depicting fanciful animals and a crest above the door.

In 1965, the San Francisco Examiner relocated to 5th and Mission Streets in a joint operating agreement with the San Francisco Chronicle, also at that location.