"Local record label Empire has not so quietly built the largest independent record label in the country, right here in San Francisco. Known most recently for the certified diamond hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey, the label celebrated 15 years by letting the public into the lobby of its newly acquired office space at the historic One Montgomery building for Super Bowl festivities."
"Label owner Ghazi (who goes by only his first name) expressed jubilation about opening the doors for the first time, with a mix of activations and concerts, including a Thursday evening show that featured LaRussell accompanied by a marching band. "It's amazing, bro. It's mind-blowing," he said. "I only imagined that things like this could happen. So to see all these people in here, not only because it's a beautiful building, but here for what we're actually doing, which is music culture. It's pretty gratifying.""
"Located at the corner of Post and Montgomery streets, the building is a prime example of Italian Renaissance revival architecture, with granite Tuscan columns framing its imposing entrance. Originally built by legendary SF architect Willis Polk in 1908 and expanded to a second adjacent building in 1920, it was home to First National Bank, later Crocker National Bank and, most recently, Wells Fargo Bank."
Empire, based in San Francisco, has grown into the country's largest independent record label and scored a certified diamond hit with "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey. The label marked its 15th anniversary by opening the lobby of its newly acquired One Montgomery building for Super Bowl festivities, staging activations and concerts including a LaRussell performance with a marching band. Empire paid $24.5 million for the historic Willis Polk–designed property, which had been vacant for more than five years after Wells Fargo moved out in 2019. Plans call for relocating about 200 employees downtown and a $40 million renovation that will include a restaurant.
Read at SFGATE
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