Iconic Transamerica Pyramid

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2022

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Over the years, many Bay Curious listeners have wondered about how the iconic Transamerica Pyramid came to be. So, in the year of its 50th birthday we bring you the story of a building that was once deemed "architectural butchery," but is now beloved by many. Additional Reading: The Transamerica Pyramid at 50: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon San Francisco Chronicle archival photos of the Transamerica Pyramid Sign up for our newsletter! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Carly Severn. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Brendan Willard. Our Social Video Intern is Darren Tu. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Jasmine Garnett, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From K-QED.
0:03.9	If you had to name the most iconic structure on the San Francisco skyline, what would you pick?
0:10.2	There's the obvious answer, the Golden Gate Bridge, of course, standing out vividly against the
0:15.6	green hills of Marin. There's my personal favorite, Sutra Tower, in all its spindly glory,
0:21.9	or maybe you like the newcomer, Salesforce Tower.
0:25.0	No judgment here, the art at the top is pretty cool.
0:28.0	But I have a feeling that several of you out there might pick the topic of today's episode.
0:34.6	What was up until recently the tallest building in San Francisco, I'm talking about the Trans
0:40.5	America Pyramid. Did you know? the Transamerica pyramid.
0:50.0	Did you know all of the building's windows rotate nearly 360 degrees? CBS demonstrated in this news clip.
0:52.0	And because of the building's unique shape, architects designed windows which could be washed from the inside.
0:59.0	Yeah, but you miss the spot.
1:00.0	Oh, one down, 3,677 to go.
1:05.0	Also, the top 212 feet of the building is actually a spire, surrounded by aluminum grading.
1:12.0	There's no offices up there.
1:13.8	Kron 4 climbed to the top to check it out in 1998.
1:17.3	This is a fire. Oh my God.
1:20.8	Even though I've probably seen this building a million times.
1:27.0	Today's episode showed me that there's a lot I still don't know about this landmark,
1:30.8	which by the way has just turned 50 years old. Happy birthday Trans America
1:36.0	Pyramid. This one's for you. I'm Olivia Allen Price. You're listening to Bay Curious. Curious. Support for Bay Curious is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, still family-, operated, and argued over.
1:54.6	Explore their brews wherever fine beverages are sold and taste how trailblazing runs in the family.
	...

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