A San Francisco landmark, unassuming outside, boasts palatial grandeur within

The first floor hallway that lead to the former main San Francisco post office in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals building, located at the corner of 7th and Mission Streets.

The first floor hallway that lead to the former main San Francisco post office in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals building, located at the corner of 7th and Mission Streets. Photo: Douglas Zimmerman Photo: Douglas Zimmerman Image 1 of / 113 Caption Close A San Francisco landmark, unassuming outside, boasts palatial grandeur within 1 / 113 Back to Gallery

For years the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, located at the corner of 7th and Mission Streets, has stood among urban disintegration. The area is now going through a renaissance. The building's handsome granite exterior doesn't even begin to hint at the old master grandeur found on the inside. It was considered one of the most opulent public buildings in its day. The palatial air remains today, still a fitting setting for cases that shape our history.

When you mention the building to people they often say, "Oh, I've passed that building many times, is it still in use?" Not only is it still in use, it still plays a major role in the cultural and political shifts of our nation. In 2012, the halls hosted the Proposition 8 appeal, where the Ninth Circuit Court became the first ever federal appellate court to overturn any of the recent state laws defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

The old post office and courthouse was completed in 1905 baroque style for $2.5 million. The structure's survival of the earthquake the following year has come symbolize San Francisco's tenacity. The craftsmanship found throughout can't be bought today, even at the modern equivalent of $40,000,000.

After the great quake, the structure was surrounded by absolute devastation. Thankfully, due to the heroic efforts of postal workers at that time, all but one room was saved from the fire that raged around it.

The building was designed by James Knox Taylor, the Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1897 to 1912. He designed hundreds of federal buildings during that period.

According to a publication about the structure written by Jesse Hamlin, Mr. Taylor insisted on the finest materials executed by master craftsmen, whom he brought from Italy. Through anecdotes, it is believed that the craftsmen stayed in the country after the completion of the building, only to be hired subsequently by William Randolph Hearst to work on his San Simeon property.

In addition to the overturning of Prop 8, many other high profile cases have been heard in the courthouse, including the WWII treason trial of Iva Toguri D'Aquino — better known as Tokyo Rose — A&M Records vs Napster, Inc., Anna Nicole Smith's inheritance suit, and Exxon Shipping Co. vs Baker suit for the grounding of a ship and resultant oil spill in Alaska.

Perhaps the most dramatic moments in the building's history played out on April 23, 1918. On that date, shots rang out as the government was completing its case in the Fraz Bopp-Wilhelm von Brincken trial. Bopp, the German consul general here, and 44 others were charged with conspiring to smuggle arms to India to overthrow the British regime.

Ram Singh, a defendant turned government witness, shot and killed Ram Chandra, also a defendant and leader of the Indian Revolutionary party. James P. Holohan, a United States Marshall, standing in the rear, climbed on the nearest seat, drew his revolver, and shot and killed Ram Singh. The glass mosaic tiled bench still bears the scar of one of the bullets, in the form of a poor repair job. Perhaps this was done for posterity.

Photo: Douglas Zimmerman A glass mosaic tiled bench still bears the scar of the bullets from...

Another bit of infamy comes in the form of a table where Al Capone sat during his trial in Chicago. Judge Richard Harvey Chambers, of the Ninth Circuit, salvaged furniture and architectural artifacts from a courthouse in Chicago. Some of those artifacts wound up in San Francisco, including beautiful bronze sconces that flank an upper hallway.

After the 1906 earthquake and fire, the building did sustain some serious damage, but was deemed salvageable. The estimated cost of repairs back then was $250,000, ten percent of the original cost to build. Only one room was destroyed by the fire. That was courtroom 3. It's now called The Redwood Room, due to the rare tiger stripe redwood that now encompasses it. The heroic efforts of the postal workers kept the fire from spreading to the rest of the structure.

After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the courthouse was closed for retrofitting. The task was monumental, and cost $111 million. Base isolators were installed beneath the structure. These work like a car's shock absorber, allowing the building to move freely, independently of the ground, during an earthquake. They consist of concave teflon plates that encompass giant bearings. You can see one in the slideshow above. During the retrofit, the engineers were able to see damage from the 1906 earthquake, which had been crudely repaired.

The Court provides regular free public tours of the interior, which begin at the public entry at 95 Seventh Street, with a schedule shown on the Court's website.

Bob Bragman is a producer for SFGATE. His writing reflects his love of the Bay Area, in addition to his passion for vintage pop culture, ephemera and vernacular photographs. To see more of his content, please click here.