Related video above: Transamerica Pyramid is unveiled after renovations
(NEXSTAR) – For 50 years, a metal propane-tank shaped contraption was buried, forgotten, under San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid. But when the iconic building changed hands, its new owners unearthed the buried tank, discovering pieces of San Francisco history inside.
The time capsule was first buried in 1974, shortly after construction on the building was completed. Its location was marked by a brass plaque, which instructed people not to touch it for 50 years.
But over the years, as changes and renovations were made to the building, that plaque was removed, according to SHVO, the real estate firm that bought the building in 2020.
After SHVO acquired the Pyramid, they launched into a multi-year renovation. Last year, they received a tip about the existence of a possible time capsule.
“This led to an extensive search, culminating in the discovery of an old map drawn by the building’s architect William Pereira. The map marked the location of a mysterious ‘Time Capsule,’ buried beneath a concrete rectangle in an underground pump room,” reads a plaque in the Transamerica Pyramid’s lobby, where the discovery is now on display.
“After a careful excavation, workers unearthed the capsule, astonishingly well-preserved after half a century.”
The artifacts inside transport you back to the ’70s with news reels and Polaroid photos celebrating the Pyramid’s grand opening and the ceremonial burying of the time capsule.
Some of the mementos show the space craze of the era, when people were pre-booking their charter flights to the moon on Trans International Airlines. The tickets read “departures: to be announced.” (A few pretty major technological developments were needed first, of course.)
A memo about the energy crisis is another sign of the times. In it, the Transamerica Corporation justifies its lighting policies and energy use, saying the new building is “the most conservation-oriented high-rise building around.”
There’s also a cocktail recipe for Pisco Punch, which was served at the on-site Bank Exchange Saloon.
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Artifacts showing advanced reservations for a charter flight to the moon on a future, yet-to-be-announced date. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar) -
Menus from a time when a lunch or a drink in San Francisco was undoubtedly more affordable. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar) -
Polaroids show the burial of the time capsule. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar) -
A memo on the energy crisis, defending the building’s energy efficiency. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar) -
The time capsule contains multiple critiques of the architecture and flyers opposing the building’s construction. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar) -
A letter from San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto defending the Transamerica Pyramid. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar) -
Another fan voices support of the architecture. (Alix Martichoux / Nexstar)
The artifacts also remind us the now-beloved Pyramid wasn’t always so popular. Fliers beg city planners to “SAVE OUR SKYLINE” and complain the building, which was the tallest in San Francisco at the time, would cast too big of a shadow on the neighborhood. Others took issue with its bold design, calling its pointed tip a “dunce cap.”
For his part, however, then-mayor Joseph Alioto was always a fan. “The soaring stance of the Transamerica Pyramid has given me continual pleasure,” he wrote in a signed letter found inside the capsule. “It is my certain belief that when the time capsule is opened at some far future date, it will be noted that the beautiful Pyramid was a treasure of its time and an inspiration to the people who lived and worked beneath its towering height.”
You can see the time capsule and the items inside for yourself at an exhibit set up inside the Transamerica Pyramid’s lobby. It’s open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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