The Transamerica Pyramid, located in downtown San Francisco, is a skyline staple. But when it was proposed, people hated the idea of a towering symbol of capitalism so close to neighborhoods like North Beach and Chinatown. Turns out the block where the pyramid stands has a long and storied history. We dig into all that, as well as how public perception of the pyramid's place in the skyline has changed over the past 50 years.

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 <li><a href="https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2025/06/12/the-transamerica-pyramid-at-50-from-architectural-butchery-to-icon/">The Transamerica Pyramid at 50: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2025/06/12/the-transamerica-pyramid-at-50-from-architectural-butchery-to-icon/#A">Read the transcript for this episode</a></li>
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This story was reported by Carly Severn. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

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