Before
1904
The Baldwin Hotel &
Theater (owned by historical figure "Lucky" Baldwin)
occupied the site of today's Flood Building. It was destroyed
by fire in 1898.
In
1902, James L. Flood purchased the plot of land that held
the remains of the Baldwin Hotel and hired architect Albert
Pissis to build a building in honor of his late father James
Clair Flood, who passed away in 1889.
The
twelve-story, 293,837 square foot building cost $1,500,000
and was completed in 1904. At that time, it was the largest
building in the city of San Francisco.
The
1906 Earthquake
The Flood Building was
one of the few buildings to survive both the devastation
of the 1906 earthquake, and the subsequent great fire. The
steel frame structure with brick curtain walls covered in
gray Colusa sandstone proved to be substantial enough to
withstand the most deadly forces of nature.
The
building was restored and opened in 1907 with Southern Pacific
Railroad as its primary tenant, where it remained until
1917.
After
the departure of Southern Pacific, the Flood Building was
remodeled again to accommodate for dental and medical offices.
It remained a medical center through the 1920's, '30s and
'40s.
