The ‘new’ Transamerica Pyramid is posher than ever — but the real payoff is on the ground

The much-ballyhooed “remastering” of the Transamerica Pyramid does two things at once. It roots the skyline icon into San Francisco more thoroughly than ever before, while aiming to turn our second-tallest building into a bespoke clubhouse for the 21st century elite.

We won’t know the second mission’s fate for years — for better or worse. But the reinvention of the ground level spaces around one of America’s best-known towers, including the block’s idyllic redwood grove, is on track to be an exquisite success.

The much-ballyhooed “remastering” of the Transamerica Pyramid does two things at once. It roots the skyline icon into San Francisco more thoroughly than ever before, while aiming to turn our second-tallest building into a bespoke clubhouse for the 21st century elite.

We won’t know the second mission’s fate for years — for better or worse. But the reinvention of the ground level spaces around one of America’s best-known towers, including the block’s idyllic redwood grove, is on track to be an exquisite success.