Historic Landmarks of San Francisco

The Parrott Block was California's first major commercial building and San Francisco's first fireproof building. Constructed in 1852, the building had a foundation of Chinese granite, brick walls twenty inches thick, and cast iron shutters. It stood three stories high and was built by Chinese laborers for a dollar a day plus rations of fish and rice.

The architect, Stephen H. Williams, provided the building with such currently fashionable features as flattened Italianate arches, a classic pediment, and bracketed window hoods. Construction reportedly cost the builder, John Parrott, $117,000. Parrott, a Virginian, made his money in banking and real estate. In 1851 he was worth $60,000, making him the City's tenth richest man. Twenty years later Parrott's fortune had mushroomed to $4 million and he ranked number four. Parrott was, among other things, a coincorporator of Laurel Hill Cemetery and a director of the San Francisco and Colorado River Railroad.

The Parrott Block, which was once occupied by Wells Fargo and Company, was demolished in 1926 and replaced by the Financial Center Building. The site, the northwest corner of California and Montgomery Streets, is now occupied by the Omni Hotel, 500 California Street.