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Halladie Building, Sutter Street
A national historical landmark, the Halladie Building was the first building in the world to feature a glass curtain front. A glass curtain front literally hangs in front of a reinforced concrete building. Today, the glass curtain front is very common on office buildings but in 1917 when this building was erected the design was completely revolutionary. Architect Willis Polk took the curtain metaphor further, designing the wrought iron cornice and fire escapes to appear as a window valence and drapery pulls. The building was financed by the University of California who named it after their alumnus, Andrew Halladie, the developer of the cable car. Today the building houses the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
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