Macromedia’s new digs

January 24th, 2005 by mike downey Leave a reply »

We moved into our new headquarters today. It’s an amazing building directly across the street from our old office. The MX product teams (Flash, Flash Player, Dreamweaver, Studio, Flex, and a few others) were the first to make the move.

I’ll try to post some interior photos later. I’m preoccupied with finding all of my stuff, figuring out where to plug things in, getting my new 20-in IBM L200p LCDs to work correctly, finding the new conference rooms, etc. I love moving day!

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A brief history of this historic building

“As the ‘pioneer of its kind’ in the area, the building initiated the development of its neighborhood as a manufacturing warehouse district in San Francisco.”
- Landmark Preservation Advisory Board, 1989

A designated City Landmark, The Baker Hamilton Building was constructed in 1905 for Pacific Hardware & Steel Company. When the building escaped the 1906 earthquake and fire unscathed, Pacific Hardware & Steel enjoyed several prosperous years and became one of the largest hardware firms in the western United States.

In 1918, Pacific Hardware & Steel merged with Baker & Hamilton (a firm that had been selling innovative agricultural tools since the Gold Rush) to create a company known as Baker, Hamilton & Pacific. This company, whose name later reverted to Baker & Hamilton, occupied the building into the early 1980′s.

The Baker Hamilton Building has long been associated with growth and innovation. The building helped initiate the earliest economic development in the South of Market area, and it was here – in the 1930s – that Baker & Hamilton invented its famous “model store,” which showed hardware retailers the newest ways of displaying products.

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18 comments

  1. Igor Costa says:

    Yeah, hehe great pleace, and welcome abord, Maybe you can plug there your IBM LCD hehe.
    So, more space more vanacy to new employers hehe.

  2. btn says:

    If I had a blog, I could brag about our new digs too… ;)

  3. john fleming says:

    Hi,
    Would you be interested in BUYING an old
    Baker and Hamilton implement seat?
    It is in mint condition with the words Baker and Hamilton/San Francisco and Sacremento cast into it.
    I am in the UK and before listing on EBAY thought it might be of interest to return it to the USA?
    Many thanks, John Fleming

  4. john fleming says:

    Hi,
    Would you be interested in BUYING an old
    Baker and Hamilton implement seat?
    It is in mint condition with the words Baker and Hamilton/San Francisco and Sacremento cast into it.
    I am in the UK and before listing on EBAY thought it might be of interest to return it to the USA?
    Many thanks, John Fleming

  5. Dan Cocosa says:

    I work for Access Communications. I was very involved with the network and cabling infrastructure installation for you new digs. I hope you all are enjoying your new space and the new cabling system we installed for you. If you have any questions about the cable we used or other such things, feel free to contact me.

    Dan

  6. Mike Willcutt says:

    It’s great to see a historic building modernized and find a useful ‘second life.’ My grandmother was the last of the Bakers, and I have great memories as a kid walking through the building. My parents actually met while working @ Baker & Hamilton, and I worried that the place would be demolished like so many other historic places. Hope you have a long and prosperous future there!

  7. donna davidson says:

    would you be interested in buying a baker,hamilton & pacific – wholesale catalogue of products from 1931 and 1932 -fully ilustrated and bound.

  8. Andrew says:

    Was just wondering if you would be interested in an old hardback pacfic hardware and steel catalogue. I would guess it is between 1905 and 1913 tha book number is #22. Thanks and what a wonderful building.

  9. buying a baker,hamilton & pacific – wholesale catalogue of products from 1931 and 1932 -fully ilustrated and bound

  10. jaycee says:

    RE: Baker& Hamilton catalog 1931/32. Would seller contact me please. Can’t find one here in New Zealand so would be interested in buying this one from you.

  11. Lynn Egan says:

    Just came across a Baker, Hamilton & Pacific Company , Tools and Cutlery general catalog #7. It is in excellent condition with some wear on cover and yellowing in pages. I believe it is from about 1920 but cannot find a date.

    Are you interested in purchasing items like this? Please let me know and thank you for your time.

    Lynn Egan

  12. Allen says:

    Good site, nice design! Visit my sites, please:

  13. Michael Mozart says:

    Hi,

    I collect Baker and Hamilton Catalogs. I notice A LOT of People are posting that they have them. But I can’t figure out any way to contact them. I may be reached at Jeepersmedia@aol.com or 860-426-9780 or 860-302-8834

    Thanks,
    Mike

  14. paul says:

    I have 3 old catalogs, one is a baker hamilton. pacific catalog, a pacific hardware and steel catalog (22) and a pacific hardware and steel (40), about 17″ of catalog. They are historic in that they were owned by Meeker (Camp Meeker, Ca) and Andrew Blaney (father pictured on postcard logging Camp Meeker with an oxen team) who started the mill that is now Sturgeons’ mill in the Sebastopol/Occidental area. They are for sale. As they are historic as well as very uncommon (no online booksite lists any of them) they are pricey catalogs. The cheapest is $250 (the newish combination catalog with an extensive Ford parts section, probably no newer than 1924, 6,540 pages. also a lock, knife, gun, fishing reference of note)

    any one interested can contact me at paulse@sbcglobal.net or 707-874-3220

  15. Dear Mike: I just came across your weblog while looking for information on the Pacific Hardware and Steel building that survived the 1906 Equake & Fire. Fantastic.

    The company is featured in a book I wrote on the disaster, built from letters written by a young man who worked at the main office. We have a letterhead with drawing of the structure — it looks the same today.

    I’m amazed the building exists. We looked for it while we were up there for our book launch and lecture series in April of 2006, but had an incorrect address from a 1903 SF directory. This building was of course not built until two years later — they had three others in the city that burned.

    You mentioned you had interior photos of the place — were these ever put on your log? I’d love to see them.

    Best Regards, Douglas Westfall, Publisher

  16. Peter says:

    hii have an old machinery seat with Baker & hamilton written on it. Want to paint it can anyone tell me the original color of the seat & lettering

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