Pioneer Building (San Francisco)
The Pioneer Building[2], also known as the Pioneer Trunk Factory - C. A. Malm & Co. building[3] is a historic building in San Francisco, California. The building is located at 2185-2199 Folsom and 3180 18th Streets. It was designed by San Francisco architect Thomas J. Welsh and built in 1902. It was originally two buildings that stood next to each other along 18th street. They were joined into one during rehabilitation in 1985-1986.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, as "Pioneer Trunk Factory--C. A. Malm & Co."[1]
Pioneer Trunk Factory--C. A. Malm & Co. | |
 The Pioneer Building in 2012 | |
    | |
| Location | 2185--2199 Folsom and 3180 18th Sts., San Francisco, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°45′44″N 122°24′53″W / 37.7623°N 122.4148°W |
| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1902 |
| Architect | Welsh, Thomas |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003727[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 5, 1987 |
The former factory is located just outside the area destroyed by the 1906 fire, and is one of the few remaining examples of the kind of large wooden structure that was once characteristic of industrial buildings in the Mission district. Its use of Italiente style wooden details resembles many Victorians built in San Francisco at the time. However, the style is unusual for factory buildings, and was perhaps chosen to better fit with the residential buildings that surround it.[3]
The factory originally manufactured trunks for automobiles, which were sold in two stores in downtown San Francisco (before trunks became a standard part of the car.) In addition to the eponymous factory, the building originally also hosted a corner storefront. [3]
After the factory went out of business in the 1930s, the building was used as a warehouse and a machine shop.[3] In the 21st century, the building once housed the office of Stripe.[4] In 2020, it housed the offices of OpenAI and Neuralink.[2] OpenAI vacated the building in August 2024,[5] and rival xAI moved in in October 2024.[6] In 2024, Elon Musk claimed to own the building.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System – Pioneer Trunk Factory--C. A. Malm & Co. (#86003727)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Hao, Karen (February 17, 2020). "The messy, secretive reality behind OpenAI's bid to save the world". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form#86003727" (PDF).
- ^ "Harvest Properties and Kinship Capital Complete Sale of The Pioneer Building in San Francisco, California". BusinessWire. January 30, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ "OpenAI exits San Francisco HQ after Elon Musk stops paying rent".
- ^ "at @xAI's open house in the pioneer building".
- ^ Musk, Elon (October 2, 2024). "X.com". X. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024.
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