Flood Building

San Francisco, CA

Reigning over a sea of passersby on the corner of Powell and Market Streets near Union Square is the Flood Building, a registered San Francisco Landmark. The Flood family, descendants of James Flood who constructed the building in 1904, retained principals of Wilson Meany to redevelop the 12-story beauty – a rare downtown survivor of the 1906 earthquake and fire. The renovation included a complete rehabilitation of the building’s lower three floors and meticulous restoration of the original Colusa sandstone façade. Flagship retail tenants benefit from the area’s significant pedestrian traffic. The project received awards of merit from San Francisco Heritage and the California Chapter of the AIA.

Local History

From earthquake to
five-and-dime,
a true survivor.

Like many historic landmarks, the Flood Building has survived numerous incarnations over its more than 100-year existence. It served as the headquarters of the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1907 to 1917, and then shifted over to become a medical center until the 1940s. In the mid-50s, it underwent significant – and aesthetically damaging – “improvements” to accommodate the need for more office space. Longtime San Franciscans remember it best as the home of Woolworths Department Store, a beloved five-and-dime which occupied the basement and first two floors until 1996