F I R S TP R E V144NEXTLAST

Transamerica Pyramid, Financial District
The Transamerica Pyramid now sits on the spot of the Montgomery Block, a structure that, in 1853, was the largest and most expensive building on the Pacific Coast. Modeled after the Roman baths the Montgomery Block became a writers' and artists' enclave. Among those who lived or worked there were Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Bret Harte, Jack London, Joaquin Miller, Frank Norris, George Sterling, Charles Warren Stoddard, and Mark Twain. In fact, Mark Twain met a San Francisco fireman in the building's basement Turkish baths who inspired him to write a novel. That fireman's name was Tom Sawyer.
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