$1 billion tower lifts San Francisco skyline to new heights
SAN FRANCISCO — More than 60 stories above the ground, construction workers climb makeshift stairs and cross narrow steel planks to put the finishing touches on Salesforce Tower, now San Francisco’s tallest building.
The $1.1 billion skyscraper has already changed the city’s iconic skyline, towering over old favourites like Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid. Unlike in New York and Chicago, the new 1,070-foot (326-meter) high-rise is a gargantuan presence in this liberal West Coast city.
Salesforce Tower and a massive adjoining transit centre also embody a larger transition in San Francisco — one that pits the technology industry against the city’s charming neighbourhoods.
Tech giant Salesforce.com, which provides online software for business, bought the naming rights to the 61-story steel and concrete building, adding to concerns that the tech economy is steamrolling through the city.