October 9th, 2008
New San Francisco Federal Building on 7th and Mission opens to public
The visually controversial and environmentally friendly San Francisco federal building opened to the public this month, and the end result for a beat up neighborhood is still forthcoming.
Located between between Mission and Market on 7th Street, the property has been deemed an eyesore AND an architectural gem by various critics. Regardless of the appearance, by placing the facility in this location the City has brought 1,700 plus workers into area that desperately needs dollars spent. Retail is supposed to improve, property values are supposed to go up, crime is supposed to go down, and the entire neighborhood is supposed to be reborn. All of this is a part of a bigger effort to rehab mid-market and push out years of despair.
Nearby properties undergoing redevelopment include 1035 Market, 1355 Market, 10 U.N. Plaza, and a wide variety of residential buildings. I am convinced that the area will improve, which will mean good office properties to place companies into near City Hall. The reason space remains vacant here, and rents stay so low, is that decision makers within corporations cannot afford to put their employees at risk by having them stay later than sunset and have to walk through impoverished areas. Public institutions have more leeway than for-profit organizations in this manner.
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New federal building open to the public
Written by John King of the San Francisco Chronicle
Nineteen months after the first of its 1,700 workers moved in, the tower of the San Francisco Federal Building is open to the public.
The 18-story high-rise near Civic Center includes an open-air “skygarden” punched into the middle of the tower between the 11th and 13th floors. Architect Thom Mayne of the Santa Monica firm Morphosis designed the garden as a public space, but agencies in the building raised security concerns related to public access.
As of Oct. 1, however, the skygarden and the cavernous multilevel lobby are open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to anyone who shows a photo ID and goes through a metal detector at the building entrance at 90 7th St.
Inside, visitors can pick up a pamphlet describing the tower’s green-building features - such as natural ventilation and lighting - and the artwork on display by Edward Ruscha and others.
“I’ve read about Thom Mayne, and I like the connection he makes between society and architecture,” said Sonja Petrus, an architect from South Africa who was snapping photographs in the lobby recently. “So here I am.”
Written by John King of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle Article Here
Picture Courtesy of Curbed, Coverage Here
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Thanks for visiting,
Tom Poser, Jones Lang LaSalle, San Francisco
www.sanfranciscotenantrep.com
