San Francisco lost a great advocate and an all around solid guy Thursday with the death of Walter Shorenstein. As the founder of the country's largest privately held owner, operator, and developer of class A office space, Shorenstein was outspoken in his support for tall, iconic buildings. The company actively pursued and developed some of the City's most notable structures, including the iconic Russ Building, One California, 50 California, and 120 Howard.
After his discharge from the Army, Shorenstein arrived in San Francisco in 1946 with less than $1,000 to his name.
He went to work for the brokerage firm Milton Meyer & Co and managed to acquire the company in 1960, renaming it The Shorenstein Company. Over the next 35 years, Shorenstein reshaped the San Francisco skyline, developing and acquiring much of what we now know as the Financial District.
While his son Doug took the reigns of the firm in 1995, Shorenstein remained a powerful figurehead of the firm he created, and remained visible in the City he helped shape. So long, Walter. Say hello to Trammell Crow from all of us.
Street-smart developer shaped S.F. skyline - [SF Gate]
Walter H. Shorenstein - [Harvard Kennedy School]
