The Sentinel Building - Revision history

Ccarlsson at 19:26, 26 November 2021

2021-11-26T19:26:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 26 November 2021
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	[[Television invented in San Francisco!? \|Prev. Document]] [[Caffé Trieste \|Next Document]]		[[Television invented in San Francisco!? \|Prev. Document]] [[Caffé Trieste \|Next Document]]

	[[category:North Beach]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:Earthquakes]] [[category:1906]] [[category:1910s]]		[[category:North Beach]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:Earthquakes]] [[category:1906]] [[category:1910s]] [[category:Why is that Bridge Painted Orange?]]

Ccarlsson: added photo

2018-05-01T20:17:31Z

added photo

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:17, 1 May 2018
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	''Photo: J.B. Monaco''		''Photo: J.B. Monaco''

			[[Image:View southerly toward the Sentinel Building, aka Columbus Tower, aka Ruef Building at center. Montgomery Block in distance at left, International Hotel and Hall of Justice in background at right. c1915 wnp27.6477.jpg\|756px]]

			'''Sentinel Building, aka Columbus Tower, c. 1915.'''

			''Photo: courtesy OpenSFHistory.org''

	How Ruef ended up in prison is a story worth telling. He was not exactly your up-from-the-streets Tammany Hall-type boss. A native San Franciscan from a prominent Jewish family, Ruef graduated from the University of California at age 18, was able to speak eight languages, including Cantonese, and was admitted to the California Bar at age 21. Initially drawn to reform politics, and corresponding with the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, the undertow of political corruption proved too tempting for his ambitious instincts.		How Ruef ended up in prison is a story worth telling. He was not exactly your up-from-the-streets Tammany Hall-type boss. A native San Franciscan from a prominent Jewish family, Ruef graduated from the University of California at age 18, was able to speak eight languages, including Cantonese, and was admitted to the California Bar at age 21. Initially drawn to reform politics, and corresponding with the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, the undertow of political corruption proved too tempting for his ambitious instincts.

Ccarlsson: added cc photo

2018-04-28T04:49:40Z

added cc photo

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 27 April 2018
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	[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']		[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']

			[[Image:Sentinel-Bldg-at-night 20171008 192326.jpg]]

			'''Sentinel Building at night, January 2017.'''

			''Photo: Chris Carlsson''

	These days the triangular-shaped building at 916 Kearny St. is the center for enterprises engaged in by its owner, film director and vintner Francis Ford Coppola. While film buffs may pay homage at the location where “The Godfather” was edited, students of bad government should pay heed, too. This was the building where San Francisco’s most notorious political boss, [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\|Abe Ruef]], tried to do business during his final years.		These days the triangular-shaped building at 916 Kearny St. is the center for enterprises engaged in by its owner, film director and vintner Francis Ford Coppola. While film buffs may pay homage at the location where “The Godfather” was edited, students of bad government should pay heed, too. This was the building where San Francisco’s most notorious political boss, [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\|Abe Ruef]], tried to do business during his final years.

Ccarlsson: added Art Peterson text

2018-04-28T04:47:29Z

added Art Peterson text

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:47, 27 April 2018
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	'''<font face = ~~arial light~~> <font color = maroon> <font size = 3>~~Unfinished History~~</font></font> </font>'''		'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

			''by Art Peterson''

	[[Image:Cushman-April-3-1960-Sentinel-Bldg-P10965.jpg]]		[[Image:Cushman-April-3-1960-Sentinel-Bldg-P10965.jpg]]
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	[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']		[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']

			These days the triangular-shaped building at 916 Kearny St. is the center for enterprises engaged in by its owner, film director and vintner Francis Ford Coppola. While film buffs may pay homage at the location where “The Godfather” was edited, students of bad government should pay heed, too. This was the building where San Francisco’s most notorious political boss, [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\|Abe Ruef]], tried to do business during his final years.

			Ruef developed this structure, then known as the Sentinel Building, in 1906 at the height of his political power. Nearing completion, all but its steel frame was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. It was soon rebuilt, but for five years Ruef was unable to use it as his headquarters, the reason being that he was an inmate at San Quentin Prison.

	[[Image:Sentinel-1906.jpg]]		[[Image:Sentinel-1906.jpg]]
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	''Photo: J.B. Monaco''		''Photo: J.B. Monaco''

			How Ruef ended up in prison is a story worth telling. He was not exactly your up-from-the-streets Tammany Hall-type boss. A native San Franciscan from a prominent Jewish family, Ruef graduated from the University of California at age 18, was able to speak eight languages, including Cantonese, and was admitted to the California Bar at age 21. Initially drawn to reform politics, and corresponding with the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, the undertow of political corruption proved too tempting for his ambitious instincts.

			Neither the Democrats nor Republicans had much use for Ruef, nor he for them. Recognizing that working people in San Francisco had nowhere to turn to in a political system in which parties kowtowed to the Southern Pacific railroad and used the police to protect strikebreakers, Ruef decided to organize another party, the aptly named Union Labor Party. Ruef considered the strictures of public office too confining. So with a mayoral election coming up the boss needed a malleable candidate to do his bidding. He found the perfect stooge in Eugene Schmitz, a violinist and president of the local musicians’ union, a politically empty vessel.

			Schooling Schmitz in the art of California politics, Ruef had his prodigy memorize the state Constitution and the City Charter. Schmitz was able to smoothly deliver the speeches that Ruef wrote for him. Surprising everybody but Ruef, Schmitz won. Within a couple of years, members of the Union Labor Party, mostly made up of semiliterate and inexperienced pols eager to partake in the spoils of government, dominated the Board of Supervisors.

			Ruef set up a system that looked out for his colleagues, but mostly for himself. If the telephone company or the electric company wanted a particular piece of legislation passed or stopped, they would hire the legal consultancy services of Abe Ruef for a retainer starting at $10,000 or so. He would take his 50 percent cut, then pass on the remainder to Schmitz and the supervisors to be divided up.

	[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]		[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]

	'''View of The ~~Trans-America~~ Building (left) and the Sentinel Building, to the right of center.'''		'''View of The TransAmerica Building (left) and the Sentinel Building, to the right of center.'''

	''Photo: Eddie Foronda''		''Photo: Eddie Foronda''

			This worked well enough before the scandal of the “French restaurants.” The restaurants might be serving coq au vin on the ground floor, but the upper floors were sexual smorgasbords for the rich. With the prodding of maverick District Attorney William Langdon, the city embarked on one of its periodic binges of morality and the French restaurants, which — sure enough — were “clients” of Abe Ruef, were caught in the crossfire. Running scared, some of Ruef’s colleagues turned on him, leading to his arrest. After a painfully long trial, characterized by enough defense dodges to provide any loophole-conscious lawyer with textbook lessons, Ruef was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison of which he served five. On his release, he set up offices on the top floors of the Sentinel Building, where he must have enjoyed the view, but did little business. He died penniless in 1936.

			<hr>

	~~916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location~~: ~~the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach~~. ~~The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps that's why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party~~\| ~~Abraham "Boss" Ruef~~]], ~~the Graft King of turn~~-of-~~the~~-~~century San~~ Francisco, ~~chose to build one of the City~~'s first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn'~~t finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.~~		[[Image:Bridge-cover final.jpg\|left]] ''Excerpted with permission from Art Peterson's book, [http://www.amazon.com/That-Bridge-Orange-Francisco-Curious/dp/0926664190/ "Why Is That Bridge Painted Orange?"] published in 2013, by Inquiring Minds Productions.''

	~~Francis Ford Coppola, Academy-Award-winning director of the Godfather trilogy, now owns the building, which houses the offices of his film company.~~

	~~''--Dr. Weirde''~~

Lisaruth: rearranged photo order

2009-07-24T07:12:16Z

rearranged photo order

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:12, 24 July 2009
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	[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']		[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']


			[[Image:Sentinel-1906.jpg]]

			''Sentinel Building under construction, in aftermath of 1906 earthquake and fire.''

			''Photo: J.B. Monaco''


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	''Photo: Eddie Foronda''		''Photo: Eddie Foronda''

	~~[[Image:Sentinel-1906.jpg]]~~

	~~''Sentinel Building under construction, in aftermath of 1906 earthquake and fire.''~~

	~~''Photo: J.B. Monaco''~~

	916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location: the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach. The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps that's why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\| Abraham "Boss" Ruef]], the Graft King of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, chose to build one of the City's first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn't finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.		916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location: the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach. The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps that's why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\| Abraham "Boss" Ruef]], the Graft King of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, chose to build one of the City's first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn't finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.

Ccarlsson at 23:50, 1 July 2009

2009-07-01T23:50:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:50, 1 July 2009
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	[[Image:Cushman-April-3-1960-Sentinel-Bldg-P10965.jpg]]		[[Image:Cushman-April-3-1960-Sentinel-Bldg-P10965.jpg]]

	'''The Sentinel Building at Kearny and Columbus, April 3, 1960.'''		'''The Sentinel Building at Kearny and Columbus, April 3, 1960. Note the red brick building to its right, which is the [[I-Hotel Eviction Eyewitness Account\|International Hotel]].'''

	[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']		[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']


	[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]		[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]

Ccarlsson: added Cushman photo with link

2009-07-01T23:48:39Z

added Cushman photo with link

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:48, 1 July 2009
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	'''<font face = arial light> <font color = maroon> <font size = 3>Unfinished History</font></font> </font>'''		'''<font face = arial light> <font color = maroon> <font size = 3>Unfinished History</font></font> </font>'''

			[[Image:Cushman-April-3-1960-Sentinel-Bldg-P10965.jpg]]

			'''The Sentinel Building at Kearny and Columbus, April 3, 1960.'''

			[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/ ''Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives (P10965)'']

	[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]		[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]

Ccarlsson: PC

2009-01-14T09:06:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:06, 14 January 2009
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			'''<font face = arial light> <font color = maroon> <font size = 3>Unfinished History</font></font> </font>'''

	[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]		[[Image:norbeach$sentinel-building-photo.jpg]]

Ccarlsson at 05:45, 14 October 2008

2008-10-14T05:45:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:45, 13 October 2008
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	''Photo: J.B. Monaco''		''Photo: J.B. Monaco''

	916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location: the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach. The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps ~~thats~~ why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\| Abraham "Boss" Ruef]], the Graft King of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, chose to build one of the City's first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn't finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.		916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location: the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach. The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps that's why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\| Abraham "Boss" Ruef]], the Graft King of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, chose to build one of the City's first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn't finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.

	Francis Ford Coppola, Academy-Award-winning director of the Godfather trilogy, now owns the building, which houses the offices of his film company.		Francis Ford Coppola, Academy-Award-winning director of the Godfather trilogy, now owns the building, which houses the offices of his film company.

Ccarlsson: categories and links

2008-08-13T20:58:01Z

categories and links

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:58, 13 August 2008
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	'''View of The Trans-America Building (left) and the Sentinel Building, to the right of center.'''		'''View of The Trans-America Building (left) and the Sentinel Building, to the right of center.'''

	916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location: the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach. The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps thats why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party Abraham "Boss" Ruef]], the Graft King of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, chose to build one of the City's first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn't finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.		''Photo: Eddie Foronda''

			[[Image:Sentinel-1906.jpg]]

			''Sentinel Building under construction, in aftermath of 1906 earthquake and fire.''

			''Photo: J.B. Monaco''

			916 Kearny Street at Columbus. The Sentinel stands guard over a strategic location: the junction of downtown, Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach. The spot was even more strategic before the 1906 earthquake, when the old City Hall was nearby. Perhaps thats why [[Abe Ruef and the Union Labor Party\| Abraham "Boss" Ruef]], the Graft King of turn-of-the-century San Francisco, chose to build one of the City's first skyscrapers here. The building was still under construction during the 1906 earthquake but somehow escaped damage. Ruef, however, suffered a different kind of damage the next year: He was jailed during the graft prosecutions of 1907. The building wasn't finished until The Boss was released from San Quentin in 1915.

	Francis Ford Coppola, Academy-Award-winning director of the Godfather trilogy, now owns the building, which houses the offices of his film company.		Francis Ford Coppola, Academy-Award-winning director of the Godfather trilogy, now owns the building, which houses the offices of his film company.
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	''--Dr. Weirde''		''--Dr. Weirde''

	~~Contributors to this page include:~~

	~~''Foronda,Eddie - Photographer-Artist ''~~

	~~Weirde,Dr. - Writer~~

	~~Monaco,J~~.~~,B. - Photographer-Artist~~		[[Television invented in San Francisco!? \|Prev. Document]] [[Caffé Trieste \|Next Document]]

	[[~~Television invented in San Francisco!? \|Prev. Document~~]] [[~~Caffé Trieste \|Next Document~~]]		[[category:North Beach]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:Earthquakes]] [[category:1906]] [[category:1910s]]