Back in 2002, Millennium Partners proposed the development of Millennium Tower, a new condominium complex at 301 Mission, essentially a 5-Star hotel without a hotel. This was soon after Millennium Partners launched its Four Seasons Hotel (the first combination hotel/condominium property in San Francisco at 757 Market Street). Four Seasons condominiums sold well after overcoming
555 California Street (“Triple Nickel”), formerly known as the Bank of America Center, was completed in 1969. At that time, it was the tallest building in the U.S. west of the Mississippi. The bank was originally the Bank of Italy, founded in a converted saloon by A. P. Giannini in 1904. Having made several investments in the smaller Bank of America,
Once upon a time, there was an iconic clock tower that guarded the San Francisco side of the Bay Bridge. It was erected in 1940 and designed by Louis P. Hobart, who also designed Grace Cathedral, the California Academy of Sciences, and Macy’s on Union Square, as well as many other structures. This structure initially displayed
Back in the day--that would be 1898 when the Ferry Terminal was opened--the Terminal was the second busiest transit terminal in the world (ferry service was the only way to get from North Bay to the City), second only to London Charing Cross station. Then came construction of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, both completed in the 1930s, and
Oracle Park—aka AT&T Park, Pacific Bell Park and SBC Park—is where the San Francisco Giants hold court, and where a statue of Willie Mays adorns the entrance at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, which is surrounded by 24 palm trees, in honor of Mays’ number, 24. The ballpark opened March 2000, replacing Candlestick (“The Stick”) as
The San Francisco City Hall, bathed here in Golden State Warriors blue, is a Beaux-Arts beauty with a rotunda taller than the U.S. Capitol building by 42 feet. It’s the place to attend Planning Commission hearings, confer with da mayor and district supervisors, obtain all sorts of licenses, and be featured in multiple films like Raiders
Since we left you last month with “One More Saloon Please,” it seems appropriate to focus on a more sobering subject like Grace Cathedral. However, before leaving the topic of saloons, please allow me to share this pic with important words from The Tonight Show host and philosopher Johnny Carson. Grace Church, the ancestral parish
The Four Seasons Hotel at 757 Market Street was first to combine condominiums and a hotel, followed in 2005 by the St. Regis. The Four Seasons property came online in September 2001 and was slow to sell. It went on to have the highest resale price per square foot in SOMA, and became a refuge
In large cities, transformation is inevitable. Structures are built, repurposed, remodeled, and leveled regularly. However, some cities have a few structures that stand for decades. I believe the "secrets to longevity" can be whittled down to three components: 1) Quality design and construction; 2) Multiple "face lifts" and adjustments to meet client needs; 3) Location.
After 25 years as a Silicon Valley techie, what’s next? Maybe trade the 1's and 0's of coding for something that “lasts,” like a building? Not just any building, but one that captures the attention of millions every night, say, for 50+ years. The Transamerica Pyramid, which is approaching its 50th anniversary in 2022, had been