Rick Homan
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Con Man's Son
    • Dark Mural
    • Dark Exhibit
    • Dark Picasso
    • Dark Portrait
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Con Man's Son
    • Dark Mural
    • Dark Exhibit
    • Dark Picasso
    • Dark Portrait
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Contact

Elevator to Sam Spade's office?

6/14/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
A lot of folks think Dashiell Hammett had the Hunter-Dulin Building in mind as the location of Sam Spade's office. The owners of the building lay claim to this distinction with a display by one of the entrances that says, "Traced to historic 111 Sutter Street by following directions and clues woven through his novel . . . Sam Spade remains in residence at his 'office at Sutter and Montgomery.'" 

It's possible. Construction on the building began in 1925 and was completed in 1927. Hammett's novel, The Maltese Falcon, was published in 1930.  

To be sure, I would want to look for the "directions and clues" in the novel, and I would like to find out what buildings occupied the other three corners at Sutter and Montgomery in the late-1920s. I'm not sure when I'll get around to those tasks. 

​Meanwhile, I keep in mind an observation by my friend, Gloria Lenhardt. The lobby of the building is luxuriously appointed with several kinds of marble and brass elevator doors. Did Spade and Archer attract high-end clients whose fees would pay rent in a posh new building? That seems doubtful, but maybe Hammett was trying to reflect some glamor on his private eye. 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Dark Stories

    by
    ​Rick Homan

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Books On Writing
    Movies
    Movies & TV Index
    Nicole's World
    Noir
    Novels
    Novels Index
    Presidio
    Publishing
    San Francisco
    San Francisco Index
    Writing

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly