Marin History Museum

City Of San Rafael Historic Sites

1300 Fourth Street - Bank of Italy

The northwest corner of 4th and C Streets in downtown San Rafael has had a number of incarnations. Don Timoteo Murphy’s adobe home occupied this corner beginning in 1844 which was San Rafael’s first house. He was known to entertain pioneer travelers, soldiers and settlers in grand style. After his death in 1853, the county purchased the property and transformed it into the county’s first courthouse.

Centennial Building, ca. 1893

Approximately 20 years later, the adobe was torn down and Oliver Irwin built the Centennial Building, opening a financial institution on the first floor. After moving on from this business venture in 1883, Thomson’s Dry Goods opened shop on the first floor and Dr. William Farrington Jones maintained an upstairs office.

Bank of Italy, ca. late 1920s

In 1928, A.P. Giannini tore down the Centennial Building and built a branch of the Bank of Italy on the site. On November 1, 1930, the Bank of Italy in San Francisco changed its name to Bank of America.

During the 1930s, A.P. Giannini controlled the construction unions in San Francisco. His bank carried the bond for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, provided the developers hired his unions. San Francisco didn’t contribute to the bridge construction. It was financed through Giannini by the dairy ranchers for Northern California Interests to maintain lucrative contracts for providing dairy products to high end San Francisco hotels.

In the late 1950s, Bank of America relocated to a new location. According to a July 15, 1958 Marin IJ article, workmen uncovered the original Bank of Italy name on the front of this building during the move which had not been seen since the late 1920’s. Much of the building's details from the 1928 bank can still be seen.

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