San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Montgomery Block
Plaque below The Montgomery Block marker.
1853 – 1959
Erected by California State Park Commission in Cooperation with the Society of California Pioneers. (Marker Number CHL 80.)
Marker series. This marker is included in the Pony Express National Historic Trail marker series.
Location. 37° 47.725′ N, 122° 24.187′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. Marker can be reached from Montgomery Street near Washington Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Montgomery Street, San Francisco CA 94111, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Black Cat Café (within shouting distance of this marker); Western Headquarters of Russell, Majors, and Waddell (within shouting distance of this marker); Bummer and Lazarus (within shouting distance of this marker); First Jewish Religious Services (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Commander John B. Montgomery's Landing Site (about 300 feet away); Bank of Italy (about 300 feet away); Pony Express (about 300 feet away); The Banking Firm of Pioche et Bayerque (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
More about this marker. This marker is currently located in the north lobby of the Trans-America Building. It was originally placed on the Montgomery Block building which was demolished in 1959.
Also see . . .
1. The Monkey Block - Found SF. Built in 1853 as the largest commercial building west of the Mississippi, the huge brick Montgomery Block building served initially as studios and apartments for writers including Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Ambrose Bierce, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, George Sterling, and Emma Goldman. The building miraculously survived

By Barry Swackhamer, December 16, 2013
3. Pony Express plaque in the lobby of the Trans-America Building
1860 – 1861
Pony Express
Western Terminus No. 2
This was the location of the building known as the “Montgomery Block”. It was originally called the Washington Block when built. On October 3, 1860 it became the new headquarters of the Central Overland California & Pike’s Peak Express Company that owned and operated the 1860-1861 Pony Express. They had moved here and operated out of Olney’s Washoe Stock Exchange at this site.
Sponsored by Bill & Jo Pasley, Steven & Rhonda Hembree, Joseph L. Schroeder and the Pony Express Trail Association, Joe Nardone – Historian
2. Fireproof in SF - Guidelines. Six fires between 1849 and 1851 destroyed large parts of rapidly growing San Francisco. Clearly fires were a significant hazard for a town filled with structures made of wood. Local attorney (and future Chief of Staff of Lincoln's armies) Henry Wager Halleck felt that public confidence needed to be bolstered by building a structure that would be impenetrable to fire or flood. A civil engineer trained at West Point military academy, Halleck was very able to guide the development of San Francisco's first fireproof building, the Montgomery Block, located at 628 Montgomery Street at Washington Street. (Submitted on December 19, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California.)
Categories. • Notable Buildings •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on December 19, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. This page has been viewed 324 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 19, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.