650 California Street

650 California Street is a 34-story skyscraper in San Francisco's Financial District standing 466 feet (142 meters) tall. The facade features white concrete with dark glass windows arranged in vertical lines that define its appearance and house commercial office space.

The tower was completed in 1964 and became San Francisco's tallest building at the time. It held this distinction until 1967, when 44 Montgomery Street surpassed it in height.

The tower embodies corporate modernism with its clean lines and minimalist form, which shaped the character of this part of San Francisco. The white concrete and dark glass create a visual order that defined the era's approach to downtown design.

The building houses office space and is surrounded by other skyscrapers in the Financial District. The best views of the tower are from Portsmouth Square, where you can see how it sits within the downtown skyline.

From Portsmouth Square, the angle of view creates an optical illusion where this building appears to match the height of 555 California Street across the way. This effect demonstrates how perspective can trick our perception of heights in a dense urban environment.

Location: San Francisco

Inception: 1964

Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Edward Charles Bassett

Floors above the ground: 34

GPS coordinates: 37.79280,-122.40500

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:43