Then … Following the movie’s opening titles a camera mounted on the roof of the 9 story Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill slowly pans across the city, creating this fine establishing panorama looking out to the Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island. On the left Telegraph Hill rises towards Coit Tower (it’s just outside the frame); in the center are the Appraisers building with the old Hall of Justice in front of it, and the Russ Building - the city’s tallest back then - is at far right.
… and Now, the identical panorama taken from the same rooftop spot today would have most of the left half blocked by the 29 story Fairmont Tower added in 1961-62 but this 23rd floor view from that Tower is a good substitute. Much of Telegraph Hill over to the left is unchanged but the Financial District straight ahead has been transformed. From here one still sees part of the Russ Building at far right.
Then … The Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island are again seen in the background as the Southern Pacific Railroads’ ferryboat Berkeley (it linked San Francisco with the Oakland Pier trains across the Bay) approaches the Ferry Building. On board is a defendant being brought back to face trial for murder. Long since retired from service, this historic steam ferry today resides as the centerpiece display at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
… and Now, there are now a smaller number of piers serving the Ferry Building and today’s ferryboats are faster and have much lower emissions than the old coal-fired steam ferries like the Berkeley.
The Ferry Building is flanked by Piers 1 and 14 - there used to be 10 smaller piers between them. There are now less, they have been reconfigured and Pier 14 is now a skinny version of its former self. (Click or tap the image to toggle between Then and Now).
The ferry passengers exit through the Ferry Building, here walking down from the second level to the gangway. At the front the defendant, escorted by a police guard, keeps his head down and face covered. This part of the building is completely changed, it’s now office space.
A group of reporters bombard him with questions as he passes through a waiting room. According to The IMdB Pro website the SF Chronicle’s beloved Herb Caen (he would have been 30 at the time) was one of them, if so he would be the hatless one behind the suspect.
Then … Outside the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero the reporters continue to hound him until he is bundled into a waiting police car. Recognizable structures from left to right are: the Appraisers Building (even more visible in the opening panorama at the top of the post), the Ferry Station Post Office on Merchant Street, Coit Tower and the Wellman’s Coffee building.
… and Now, the Embarcadero is much changed today; the buildings lining the street above have been replaced by the Embarcadero Plaza, Sue Berman Park and the Bay Club Gateway Tennis and Swim complex (clearly shown in the Then and Now aerial above). Coit Tower is still there but partially blocked by the double-globe lamppost in the center. The office high-rise at far left is Four Embarcadero Center.
Then … The police car arrives at the imposing Hall of Justice at 750 Kearny Street where Chinatown meets the Financial District.
… and Now, The Hall of Justice moved from here to new headquarters on Bryant Street in 1960. A decade later a hotel - the Holiday Inn Hotel Downtown - was built on this site. In 2005 it was taken over by the Hilton chain, refurbished and renamed the Hilton San Francisco Financial District. Here it is today, including the so-called ‘Footbridge to Nowhere’ which spans Kearny Street to Portsmouth Square but is never used. (There are plans afoot to remove it).
The defendant is accused of murdering Richard Talbot, a respected San Francisco doctor. The appointed attorney tries without success to get him to talk about it, telling him that without knowing what happened he cannot mount a defense and a guilty verdict will be certain.
The chase scenes were filmed throughout the Promenade and Lobby levels of One, Two and Three Embarcadero Center at the north end of the Financial District. In addition to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, aka Five Embarcadero Center, the office complex now includes Four Embarcadero Center and Embarcadero West, both of which were yet to be built when the movie was filmed.
Then … Having temporarily lost sight of Stevenson, Herbert is seen here climbing from the Street Level to the Lobby level up the circular staircase on the west side of the Davis Street footbridge.
… and Now, the same view from the highest (Promenade) level gives us a wider perspective of the impressive staircase. Each step is now edged with a dark safety strip.
Then … Stevenson is next seen on the Promenade level of One Embarcadero Center. Left of center in the upper photo are the steps to the footbridge that spans Front Street and at far left the tall cylindrical sculpture described in the previous post is partially visible. When, alongside the sculpture, he looks down he sees Herbert outside the Design Research store on the Lobby level.
… and Now, a Landmark Theatre complex has since been built here; it wraps around the opening to the Lobby level seen above. The sculpture, on the left, rises through it and the footbridge steps referenced in the Then image above are at far right. The office building off to the left is One Maritime Plaza (originally the Alcoa Building) and Two Embarcadero Center is in the background. The Theatre closed in 2022 after 26 years of operation; now shuttered, it denied CitySleuth access to match the movie views above.
Then … From the lobby level Herbert looks up and spots Stevenson.
… and Now, today’s view shows the Landmark Theatre’s structure on the Promenade level.
This next shot is a cut back to the One Embarcadero Promenade level where Stevenson was seen two Then images above. The Front Street footbridge steps are behind him; the angular Hyatt Regency is visible in the distance.
Herbert continues to look around. The blurred background makes this location difficult to I.D.
Then … The chase continues across the one-above-the-other footbridge that spans Front Street between One Embarcadero Center on the right and Two Embarcadero Center on the left. This shot, taken from the Maritime Plaza, looks south across Clay Street down Front Street.
… and Now, trees along Clay Street now block the same view from the Maritime Plaza level. In this view from street level the brown building on the left built in 2001 now obscures the building that still houses the historic Schroeder’s German Restaurant which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2023. On the right-hand side of Front, both Then and Now, if you look closely you’ll see the neon sign of the historic Harrington’s Bar and Grill.
Then … In this great shot we see them each on one of the two bridges crossing Clay Street from Embarcadero Centers One and Two to the Maritime Plaza on the left. Note the tall cylindrical sculpture seen earlier during the chase.
… and Now, the sculpture, still there, protrudes through the since added Landmark Theater structure. On the left both Then and Now is the Alcoa Building, aka One Maritime Plaza, with its aluminum cladded exterior.
Then … Here’s Stevenson on the furthermost bridge approaching the Plaza. the Two Embarcadero Center Promenade level exit is behind him
… and Now, Note in today’s matching shot the arched tunnel leading out of the Center’s exit (see it above also). This is a rare survivor of the many such building exit tunnels throughout the Center that have been removed over the years during renovation upgrades; one of the now-gone tunnels is seen in the second Then image in this post.
Then … Herbert is on the One Embarcadero Center’s Promenade level bridge racing back to the Plaza after spotting Stevenson heading over there. Once again we see the cylindrical sculpture behind him and there’s a second Design Research store on the left.
… and Now, the same view now, the main change being the previously described Embarcadero Landmark Theatre.
Then … He pauses, looking down a set of stairs leading from the Plaza down to street level. Behind him are the Alcoa Building and One Embarcadero Center.
… and Now, apart from the electrical conduit pipe on the wall, exactly the same.
The stairs lead down to Washington Street.
Then … Teddy’s persistence has paid off - his fantasy is about to become reality. Charlotte’s limo pulls up to the entrance of her apartment building.
… and Now, This is the iconic Brocklebank Apartments atop Nob Hill, across Sacramento Street from the equally iconic Fairmont Hotel, at far right. In movies this building is most famously remembered as Madeleine’s home in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Then … The bedroom scene was filmed in a studio using a photographic backdrop to set the location. Perplexingly though, the photo isn’t a view from a Brocklebank window, instead it was taken from the roof of the neighboring Fairmont Hotel. The building seen on the left beyond Charlotte’s shoulder is the Condominiums at 1001 California Street, the white building to its right is 1055 California and the taller brick building at far right is the Huntington Hotel at 1075 California.
… and Now, this wide view shows the Brocklebank at left, 1001 California Condominiums at right and the Fairmont rooftop from where the above window photo was taken.
Even more surprising: later on in this scene there’s this view (below) from Charlotte’s window. It shows the Brocklebank’s view of the same three California buildings in the Then image above. CitySleuth would have used this! Down on the left is the international flag array above the Fairmont’s entrance and, on the right, the Pacific Union Club.
My, oh my … she takes his hand and leads him to the bed where she urges him to “Come and get it, cowboy”. This is it! Dreams come true! But hold on … a call from the lobby comes over the intercom from … wait for it … Charlotte’s husband! He’s on his way up!
Chaos ensues - Teddy hastily dons the husband’s bathrobe before being urged out the window onto the 9th floor ledge by a frantic Charlotte (this was the flash-forward scene at the beginning of the film). Across Mason Street is the Park Lane Apartments, built in 1924-25 just one year ahead of the Brocklebank; its art deco moderne-styled upper floors were added in 1929.
Then … A crowd begins to congregate on the street below, staring up at the man high up on the ledge.
… and Now, here’s today’s match - the street view shows the Pacific Union Club with Grace Cathedral beyond it.
Then … One of the street-side gawkers rushes into a nearby cafe gobbledygooking about a man about to jump - everyone rushes out to join the throng.
… and Now, this was the Nob Hill Cafe at 1152 Taylor Street, still in business to this day. The SF City Directory has listed it there under this name since 1978 (when it took over from Gene’s Nob Hill Coffee Shop). Today a parklet partially obscures the view through the windows but the wide set of apartment steps across the street is clearly visible both Then and Now.
Then … A fire department ladder truck responds to an emergency call. Note the Chinese stores across the way, the clue to this location.
… and Now, this is Fire Station 2 at 1340 Powell Street near Broadway on the edge of Chinatown.
… and Now, here’s Station 2. In the movie scene the ladder truck exited from the central bay.
There’s a plaque outside the station memorializing the brave firefighters who, dating all the way back to 1854, gave their lives while protecting their fellow citizens.
By now the fire truck, a huge crowd and a local TV station van pack the Brocklebank courtyard. The movie ends when Teddy jumps down to a life safety net, but not before he muses in voiceover whether pursuing his fantasy was worth it for just “ … a piece of ass”.
In Stevenson’s Hyatt Regency hotel room Herbert announces that he has pursued him through time in order to turn him in. A scuffle breaks out - Stevenson flees, Herbert in close pursuit.
Then … They find themselves each in side-by-side elevators heading down to the hotel lobby.
… and Now, this is the same view today should one crane up from the hotel’s lowest floor. Three of the elevators are visible from this vantage point (there’s two more, one around either side). The elevators have been replaced, now without external strip lights.
Then … Herbert makes the wrong choice trying to run down the up escalator in the lobby as Stevenson forces his way down the other.
… and Now, they have been updated, but the escalators are still there. Citysleuth got tired of waiting for two elevators to be here at the same time for the perfect match to the ‘Then’ image above. Watching them go up and down was a random motion experience.
The chase continues through the adjacent One, Two and Three Embarcadero Center high-rise office building complex, shown here on this map. (When the movie was filmed Embarcadero West and Four Embarcadero Center were not yet built).
Then … Stevenson runs out of the hotel; here he’s on the Promenade level of Three Embarcadero Center.
… and Now, he was running towards the footbridge that connects to Two Embarcadero Center.
Then … He flees across that footbridge.
… and Now, the bridge, crossing Davis Street, hasn’t changed; those planters, though similar at first sight, have slightly different bases.
Then … Which way did he go - across the footbridge or down the circular staircase that spirals down on either side of him?
… and Now, the same view, looking from the east side of the footbridge towards Two Embarcadero Center.
Then … Stevenson descends the footbridge steps leading to Two Embarcadero Center.
… and Now, there’s a little more greenery today.
Then … Instead of crossing the footbridge Herbert runs down the circular stairway two floors to the Street level.
… and Now, there’s now a large fern shrub planted where the flowers used to be.
Then … Now Herbert is on the Lobby level of One Embarcadero Center running past stainless steel sculptures. The cylindrical one on the left will be seen again a couple of times as the chase unfolds - it soars through the Center’s two pedestrian levels above it to a height of 82 feet.
… and Now, those sculptures, created in 1971 by Swiss artist Willi Gutmann, are still there but the surround has since been ‘modernized’.
