Walk down Market Street toward 10th, and you'll see it. That massive, Art Deco fortress with the grey stone facade and the sharp, vertical lines that scream 1930s ambition. Most people today just call it the "Twitter building" or, more recently, the "X building." But honestly, 1355 Market Street San Francisco CA has a history that's way weirder and more resilient than whatever Elon Musk is tweeting about this morning.
It was originally the Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart. Think about that for a second. Before it was a hub for global real-time digital discourse, it was basically a massive showroom for couches, lamps, and mid-century dinette sets.
The building sat through decades of San Francisco’s shifting fortunes. It survived the decline of the Mid-Market district in the late 20th century, a period where the area was mostly known for shuttered storefronts and a sense of "what happened here?" Then came the tax breaks. Then came the tech. Now, it stands as a weirdly perfect monument to how San Francisco constantly reinvents itself—sometimes successfully, sometimes painfully.
The Mid-Market Tax Break That Changed Everything
You can't talk about 1355 Market Street San Francisco CA without talking about the "Twitter Tax Break." Back in 2011, the city was desperate. The Mid-Market area was struggling, and tech companies were looking at the Peninsula or South of Market. Ed Lee, the mayor at the time, pushed for a payroll tax exemption for companies that moved into this specific corridor.
It worked.
Twitter signed a massive lease, and suddenly, a building that was largely empty became the center of the tech universe. This wasn't just a real estate deal; it was a gamble on urban renewal. Shorenstein Properties and JPMorgan Chase Real Estate spent a fortune—hundreds of millions—to gut the place and turn it into a high-tech campus while keeping that gorgeous 1937 exterior intact. They added a 10th-floor roof deck that has some of the best views in the city, though good luck getting up there if you don't have a badge.
The building is huge. We're talking nearly a million square feet of space. It’s actually two buildings joined together: the original Mart and a later addition. When you're inside, you can feel the scale. It's sprawling.
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What’s Actually Inside 1355 Market Street?
If you walked in today, you’d see a mix of the ultra-modern and the deeply historic. The lobby is cavernous. The elevators are fast. But it's the ground floor that actually interacts with the public.
For a while, the "Market Square" project was the big draw. There’s The Market, a high-end grocery store and food hall that honestly kept the neighborhood fed for years. You’ve got sushi, wood-fired pizza, and some of the best carnitas in the area. It was supposed to be the "living room" of Mid-Market. It’s still there, though the vibe has shifted as remote work emptied out the offices upstairs.
The upper floors are where the drama happens.
- X (formerly Twitter): They occupy the lion's share of the space. Under the old regime, it was all kombucha on tap and meditation rooms. Under Musk, it became a site of "hardcore" work, makeshift bedrooms, and the infamous (and brief) glowing "X" sign on the roof that drove the neighbors crazy before the city made them take it down.
- Other Tenants: People forget it’s not just one company. Over the years, firms like Thumbtack and various VC outfits have called this place home. It’s a vertical ecosystem.
- The Architecture: Look up at the ceiling in the lobby. You’ll see original 1930s details that have been meticulously restored. The architects, IA Interior Architects and Lundberg Design, managed to make "industrial chic" feel actually authentic rather than just a Pinterest trend.
The Reality of 1355 Market Street San Francisco CA Today
Let’s be real for a minute. The area around 1355 Market Street San Francisco CA is complicated. You’ve got world-class tech talent walking past people who are struggling with homelessness and addiction. This tension has defined the building's presence in the city for over a decade.
When the pandemic hit, the building became a ghost town. San Francisco’s "doom loop" narrative often centered right here on the corner of 10th and Market. With X moving many operations elsewhere or just cutting staff, the massive vacancy rates in the city started to look like a permanent scar.
But buildings this big don't just disappear.
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There's a gritty persistence to the 1355 address. Even with the lawsuits over unpaid rent and the shifting corporate culture, the physical structure remains one of the most technologically advanced offices in the world. It’s got LEED Gold certification. It’s got a massive bike basement. It’s built to withstand the "Big One" (the earthquake everyone in SF is low-key waiting for).
Why the Location Matters (Even Now)
Why did they build a furniture mart here in the first place? Because it’s the spine of the city. You have BART and MUNI lines running right underneath you at the Civic Center station. You’re a five-minute walk from City Hall and the War Memorial Opera House.
If you're a business, 1355 Market Street San Francisco CA offers something rare: scale. Most SF buildings are narrow or historic in a way that makes open-plan offices impossible. This place? It’s a block-wide beast. You can have a single floor plate that holds hundreds of people.
Critics will tell you the Mid-Market experiment failed. They’ll point to the closed retail and the empty sidewalks. But supporters argue that without this building’s renovation, the entire district would still be a dead zone. It’s a lightning rod for debate about gentrification, the tech industry’s responsibility to its neighbors, and the future of downtown.
Surprising Details You Might Not Know
- The Wood: Much of the wood used in the common areas was reclaimed from the bowling alleys that used to be in the building. Yeah, people used to bowl here.
- The Sky Lobby: There’s a dramatic bridge that connects the two main structures, giving you a weird sense of floating over the city.
- The "Twitter Sign": When the company rebranded to X, they tried to auction off the old bird signs. Those signs were bolted into the bones of 1355 for a decade. Taking them down was a symbolic end of an era for the building.
- The Rooftop Park: It’s almost an acre of greenery. In a city where outdoor space is a premium, having a private park 10 stories up is the ultimate flex.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think 1355 Market Street is just an office building. It’s not. It’s a data hub. The amount of fiber optic cable running into that basement is staggering. It was built to handle the literal "firehose" of global data. Even if X left tomorrow, the infrastructure makes it one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in Northern California for any data-heavy industry.
Also, it's not "dangerous" to go there. People read headlines and think Mid-Market is a war zone. It's just a city. It's loud, it's messy, and it’s deeply San Franciscan. You can still grab a great coffee at Blue Bottle nearby or visit the Asian Art Museum just a few blocks away.
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Actionable Insights for Visiting or Business
If you’re heading to 1355 Market Street San Francisco CA, keep these things in mind.
For the Casual Visitor:
You can't get past the security desk without an invite. Don't try. However, The Market on the ground floor is open to the public. Enter through the doors on Market Street. It’s a great spot for a quick lunch, and you can get a feel for the building’s scale without needing a security clearance.
For Business & Logistics:
The building is incredibly accessible via public transit. Use the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART station. If you have to drive (which I don't recommend), there is an underground garage, but it's pricey. If you're looking at the area for office space, know that the "Mid-Market" identity is currently in flux—it’s a buyer’s/renter’s market right now, which is a huge shift from five years ago.
For History Buffs:
Take a moment to look at the exterior carvings. They represent the "spirit of the West" and the industries that built California. It’s a reminder that before it was about bits and bytes, this city was built on physical goods and massive ambition.
Next Steps for Exploration:
If you want to see the impact of this building on the city, walk three blocks in any direction. Head toward Hayes Valley to see where the tech money went, or head toward the Tenderloin to see the challenges that remain. To really understand 1355 Market, you have to see what it’s surrounded by. Check the local planning department records or the SF Heritage site if you want the deep-cut architectural blueprints from the 1930s.