Sentinel Building
is really Columbus Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, California
Real place, still recognisable
Real-world photo: Wikimedia Commons
How close does the game get to the real place?
In the game
Driver: San Francisco recreates the corner where Columbus Avenue meets Kearny Street: the green flatiron of Columbus Tower in front, with the Transamerica Pyramid soaring behind it. It is one of the landmarks VortexStory compares between the games and the real city.
The real place
Columbus Tower, also called the Sentinel Building, was finished in 1907, just after the great earthquake, and is known for its green copper skin. Film director Francis Ford Coppola has owned it since the 1970s. The Transamerica Pyramid behind it was finished in 1972 and is about 260 metres tall.
Visiting
Stand at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Kearny Street for this exact view, then have a coffee at Café Zoetrope on the ground floor of the tower. North Beach's Italian cafés and City Lights bookstore are a short walk up Columbus Avenue.
Transamerica Pyramid is also in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. See all 2 games side by side
More from games in San Francisco: 30 real places on one map
Pilgrim photos
Screenshots from the game and photos of Columbus Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid, sent in by players. Most liked first.
No pilgrim photos yet. Played the game or been to Columbus Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid? Share the first one.
Share your photo of Sentinel BuildingA screenshot from the game or a photo of the real place. Both are welcome.
Tips from pilgrims
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