Montgomery Street is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, in the United States.
It runs about 16 blocks from the Telegraph Hill neighborhood south through downtown, terminating at Market Street. South of Columbus Avenue, Montgomery Street runs through the heart of San Francisco's Financial District and contains one of the highest concentrations of financial activity, investment business, and venture capital in the United States and the world. For this reason, it is known as "the Wall Street of the West".[1][2] South of Market Street, the street continues as New Montgomery Street for two more blocks to terminate at Howard Street in the SOMA district.
History
Looking north from Market Street up Montgomery Street towards the Transamerica Pyramid. In the foreground is the flagship branch of Wells Fargo Bank.
In the 1830s, the land which is now Montgomery Street lay at the edge of San Francisco Bay.[3][4] Intense land speculation during the Gold Rush created a demand for more usable land in the rapidly growing city, and sandy bluffs near the waterfront were leveled and the shallows filled with sand (and the ruins of many ships) to make new building lots. Between 1849 and 1852, the waterfront advanced about four blocks.[5] At present, Montgomery Street is about seven blocks from the water.
Many banks and financial-services companies have had offices in the buildings on or near Montgomery Street, especially between Market Street and Sacramento Street:
The world headquarters of Wells Fargo are at 420 Montgomery.[6]
Melvin Belli, lawyer known as "The King of Torts", had his offices at the Belli Building at 722-724 Montgomery St.[9] Belli used to raise a Jolly Roger and fire a cannon every time he won a case.[10]
A building bearing the name of One Montgomery Tower is located at the intersection of Post and Kearny streets, behind the Wells Fargo flagship branch and Crocker Galleria.
