650 California Street

The 34-story structure at 650 California Street stands 466 feet tall with a white concrete exterior and dark glass windows forming vertical lines.

Upon completion in 1964, the Hartford Building became San Francisco's tallest structure, maintaining this position until 44 Montgomery Street surpassed it in 1967.

The building represents mid-century modernist corporate architecture with its minimalist design principles emphasized through large-scale geometric patterns and unadorned surfaces.

The office tower contains 461,140 square feet of commercial space across its floors, accommodating numerous technology companies and financial institutions.

From Portsmouth Square, the optical perspective creates an illusion where this building appears equal in height to 555 California Street.

Location: San Francisco

Inception: 1964

Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Edward Charles Bassett

Floors above the ground: 34

GPS coordinates: 37.79519,-122.40566

Latest update: May 26, 2025 07:16