Bank of Italy Building, San Francisco
In 1908, this eight-story building became the headquarters of A. P. Giannini’s Bank of Italy (precursor of the Bank of America) after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed the original bank building in nearby North Beach. This structure housed the headquarters of the Bank of Italy until 1921, when operations were moved to a newer building on Powell Street. It then served as the headquarters for Giannini’s Liberty Bank System. In the 1930s, it became a Bank of America branch.
The Bank of Italy Building, a striking example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places that same year.
Credits and Sources:
American Society for Environmental History.
"Bank of Italy Building." http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1747&ResourceType=
Photographs courtesy the Library of Congress
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