'Ugliest' building in San Francisco to be formally dedicated in Nancy Pelosi's honor

Though veteran politicians often feel a great sense of pride when government buildings are named in their honor, that may not be the case when it comes to the upcoming dedication of a federal facility in California.

As Fox News reports, the San Franciso Federal Building, an 18-story structure that President-elect Donald Trump once called “one of the ugliest structures” in the city, is set to be formally dedicated to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, perhaps leaving her feel just a little bit defeated.

Monday ceremony planned

Pelosi herself will be on hand Monday for the unveiling of new building signage bearing her name.

The honor was made possible by language that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, an omnibus spending measure with a whopping $1.7 billion price tag.

According to Fox News, the newly named “Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building” is a 234-foot-tall structure in the South of Market area of San Francisco.

Billed as an environmentally efficient “green” facility, the building is intended to require just one-third of the energy used by a conventional office building in the state.

Contained within the building are office for Pelosi herself as well as staff from the Department of Agriculture, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Health and Human Services, as CBS News noted.

Trump, critics not impressed

Despite the structure's arguably admirable environmental features, critics have long taken aim at its unusual design and drab exterior hue.

One particularly noteworthy detractor over the years has been Trump himself, who, in 2020, called on the government in an executive order to “make federal buildings beautiful again.”

Trump took direct aim at the building now bearing Pelosi's name, saying that the General Services Administration “selected an architect to design the San Francisco Federal Building who describes his designs as 'art-for-art's-sake' architecture, intended primarily for architects to appreciate.”

He went on, “While elite architects praised the resulting building, many San Franciscans consider it one of the ugliest structures in their city.”

Considering the contentious history between Trump and Pelosi over the years, it only seems fitting that their rivalry would extend to a debate on the merits of the building that bears the former speaker's name.