325 Pacific

The Formation of Jackson Square

The Jackson Square Historical District dates back to the mid nineteenth century and include more than 20 sites recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The original east shoreline of the city lay as far west as present-day Montgomery Street. In the 1850s, the financial district was extended to its current shoreline on landfill built upon wharves and vessels abandoned by forty-niners.

The San Francisco Gold Rush saw an explosion of fortune seekers, mostly uneducated men, arriving at San Francisco Harbor. The waterfront area around Broadway and Pacific quickly developed to capitalize on their demand for liquor, female comfort & companionship, opium, and gambling. Thus, in what would later become Jackson Square, the Barbary Coast was born. The rapid expansion of fast-living frontiersmen, including many criminals, created one of the most corrupt and dangerous areas in the country, which eventually spread out to cover present day China Town, North Beach, and Fisherman's Wharf. Murder, theft, kidnapping, and beatings were commonplace and mostly unchecked by law enforcement. Many areas remained seedy and free-wheeling hotspots of debauchery until the early twentieth century, when political changes helped civilize the area. The result caused San Francisco to emerge as a major financial center and a world recognized Metropolitan City.

The '06 Quake

On April 18th, 1906, the Great Earthquake shook San Francisco for more than 45 seconds. The resulting fires burned much of the east half of the city, and destroyed most buildings in the Financial District. Click the below panorama to open the full resolution version in a new tab and see the extent of the devastation. Several buildings in Jackson Square did survive, however, and some still stand, offering a glimpse into the gold rush era. Many of the oldest commercial buildings in the city can be found in Jackson Square.

Rebirth and Transformation

After the great earthquake, Jackson Square was quickly rebuilt and remained a thriving center of commerce. Although greatly toned down from the wild days of the Barbary Coast, the Jackson Square neighborhood retained a lively nightlife scene.

In the 1950s, the area was transformed by an influx of furnisher wholesalers and artists who renovated many of the aging buildings. This tradition continues today with concentrations of furniture and textile dealers, art galleries, and architecture and interior design firms.

In 1972, the bounds of Jackson Square became host of the tallest building in the western United States upon completion of the Transamerica Pyramid. The tapered skyscraper is considered an architectural wonder and, still the tallest building in Northern California, is the crown jewel of the San Francisco skyline.

Maps from as early as 1853 show improvements at 325 Pacific, with property lots there shown as early as 1851. (At that time, it was Pacific Street. Later development of the street eastward was made as Pacific Avenue, and in the nineteen teens or twenties the original section of Pacific was renamed an Avenue to match the newer eastern portion.) An 1899 fire insurance map shows 325 Pacific improved with lodgings/tenements, however any existing structure there did not survive the 1906 disaster.

Records indicate the current property at 325 Pacific Avenue was first built in 1907. The original construction included a street-accessible freight elevator in which goods could be delivered directly to the basement. Shortly after construction, the building was occupied by Gimbal Brothers, a candy manufacturer operated by three sons of a forty-niner. The company was one of the first innovators of steam cooked candy, and saw terrific success thanks to the high quality of their confections. Gimbal Brothers outgrew 325 Pacific in 1917, but they remained in San Francisco and today Gimbal's Fine Candies, still operated by the Gimbal family, continues to make treats loved throughout the world.

From 1918 until 1940, city directories contain intermittent listings for 325 Pacific, including the DaRoza-Doherty Co. (food chemists) and the Stapleton-Smith Sales Co. (salvage operators). But, in 1941, 325 Pacific again found a long-term incumbent in R. C. Pauli and Sons, a spice manufacturer. The building remained a spice factory for fifteen years, until R. C. Pauli and Sons relocated and was soon after acquired by the Glidden Company.

In the late fifties, 325 Pacific followed the trend of the neighborhood evolving from industrial to commercial. The factory was converted to office space and has been so ever since. For twelve years beginning in 1961, the second floor housed the photography studio of Stone and Steccati. In the late sixties and early seventies the 3rd floor was occupied by the planning offices of the National Sports & Boat Show. Throughout the seventies and into the eighties tenants included engineering, law, and architecture firms as well as New West and California Magazines.

More recently, tenants have included software designers, accountants, commercial bankers, dentists, product designers, and marketing agents. The building was renovated in 1987 and again 1992, the latter including seismic upgrades.