Bank of America completed 555 California Street in 1969 and the Transamerica Pyramid was completed in 1972 , igniting a wave of " Manhattanization " that lasted until the late 1980s , a period of extensive high-rise development downtown . The 1980s also saw a dramatic increase in the number of homeless people in the city , an issue that remains today , despite many attempts to address it . The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused destruction and loss of life throughout the Bay Area . In San Francisco , the quake severely damaged structures in the Marina and South of Market districts and precipitated the demolition of the damaged Embarcadero Freeway and much of the damaged Central Freeway , allowing the city to reclaim The Embarcadero as its historic downtown waterfront and revitalizing the Hayes Valley neighborhood
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
San Francisco