Transamerica Pyramid: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Transamerica Pyramid, located in downtown San Francisco, is a skyline staple. But when it was proposed, people hated the idea of a towering symbol of capitalism so close to neighborhoods like North Beach and Chinatown. Turns out the block where the pyramid stands has a long and storied history. We dig into all that, as well as how public perception of the pyramid's place in the skyline has changed over the past 50 years. Additional Resources: The Transamerica Pyramid at 50: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! 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 Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED's flagship news talk show Forum.
0:05.7	While you can find us live on the air every weekday morning, and anytime on your podcast feed,
0:10.6	forum is now available to watch over on YouTube.
0:13.8	We're all about connecting communities and exploring this beautiful place we call home,
0:18.3	and now you can be in the room with us while we do it.
0:21.3	Watch weekly episodes at YouTube.com slash KQED News.
0:26.0	That's YouTube.com slash KQED News.
0:29.4	I'll see you there.
0:31.1	Hi, it's Mina Kim, co-host of KQED's Forum.
0:34.5	You can tune in to KQED's flagship news talk show when it's live on the air or any time as a podcast, and now you can also find us on YouTube.
0:43.4	We just launched Forum's new weekly video podcast series. We love bringing you stories and perspectives from across California and are excited to bring you into the room with us.
0:52.9	Check it out at YouTube.com slash KQED News.
0:56.6	That's YouTube.com slash KQED News.
1:01.9	From KQED.
1:04.5	The Transamerica Pyramid is one of the most recognizable parts of the San Francisco skyline
1:09.5	and was groundbreaking in many ways when it opened in
1:12.7	1972. Did you know that all of the building's windows rotate nearly 360 degrees?
1:20.6	CBS demonstrated in this news clip. And because of the building's unique shape, architects designed
1:26.0	windows which could be washed from the inside.
1:29.3	How about you missed the spot?
1:31.3	Oh.
1:32.3	One down, 3,677 to go.
	...

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