William Tecumseh Sherman and the Bank of Lucas, Turner

800-804 Montgomery Street
Jackson Square

 

The Bank of Lucas, Turner and Company was designed  in the Italianate style typical of early San Francisco. The classical façade faces Montgomery Street, the main business street at the time. The ground floor is built from well cut and fitted granite blocks. The granite is not from California, and is variously said to be from the eastern United States or from China.

It was built in 1853-1854 by Keyser and Brown, after designs by Reuben Clark, architect for the Bank of Lucas, Turner and Company, under the supervision of William Tecumseh Sherman, later to become General of the (Union) Armies during the Civil War. Sherman stayed on to manage the bank. The owner was J.N. Lucas, resident partner of the bank, a well-known St. Louis firm of the day.  The lot had been bought from James Lick for $31,000.  Lick had paid $3,000 for a larger parcel, from which this was carved in 1848.  Other parts of this larger lot were later given by Lick to the Trustees of the Protestant Orphan Asylum, Society of California Pioneers and a volunteer fire company.

The bulding cost $53,000 to build, a large sum for the day.

The Bank of Lucas, Turner and Company moved into their impressive new building during the summer of 1854, but despite surviving the run on banks of 1855, that closed most every other banking establishment in San Francisco, Lucas, Turner and Company was closed by 1857.  Sherman moved back to New York to manage a Lucas, Turner branch there.

Ex-Mayor Brenham had his office here in 1856. In 1860 William Blanding, a captain of the South Carolina Volunteers in the Mexican War and US District Attorney in San Francisco, became the primary tenant.  Blanding was instrumental in introducing the silkworm culture into California.

In 1870 the movement of the business district toward Market Street, left this area of town in a downward market, and in 1900 the building became the property of the daughter of first Jewish California State Supreme Court Justice (1852-1857) Solomon Heydenfeldt.

In 1906, Eiffel Tower, a French restaurant occupied the ground floor with lodging above.

The 1906 Earthquake and Fire damaged the third story which was removed. The restaurant remained until 1924, the lodgings even longer.

A sausage factory shared part of the ground floor in the 1920’s. In later years, a Chinese soy sauce factory was located here.

In the 1950’s, with the revival of Jackson Square for the design trade, the building was converted for use by decorators.  The building now houses one of the finest Architectural Book Stores one can encounter William Stout Books.