Plans to add six new stories atop the skinny two-story building at 1236 Market Street, adjacent to Sam’s Diner at 1220 Market, have been drawn and submitted to the City for review.

The proposed project and existing building on the site extend to 37 Grove Street, which was formerly home to Fitness Evolution.

If approved and permitted, the development would become a single 105-room hotel, the rough plans for which have been drafted by the Case Design Group.

That being said, while the existing building on the site has been architecturally compromised since being built in 1924, it has been deemed an “altered contributor” to the Civic Center Historic District, a designation which could alter the proposed project’s approach and/or design, especially on Grove.

27 thoughts on “Evolution on Market and Grove”
      1. Ok. They seemed so shallow that you’d be looking into another room ten feet away… But I guess the city can use cheap hotel rooms too!

        1. Lots of hotel rooms like that in various cities – hard to tell when you book on Expedia and the like (Hint: it’s the room that does not have ocean view)

          1. It’s also the room you get on “Expendia and the like”. Want a room not on the light well but with an actual view (if only of the street)? Use the hotel’s own web site or, better yet, phone them to book.

  1. i once watched a homeless man have sex with a prostitute on top of that wells fargo ATM machine in broad daylight. I’ll miss this last gulch of seediness.

  2. Perfect project! I walk by this block everyday. I always look at the buildings and imagine what could be. Now if someone could do something on the corner parcel aka junkie camp. I literally hold my breath walking past that part.

  3. Who is the developer?

    Also, how many architectural categories are there for buildings?! Everything is a district these days, haha.

    1. Here’s one that was thrown at me a few years back: “Possible contributor to a potential historic district.”

  4. Somehow these designs (which I genuinely hope go through at least a single round of revision via serious notes from planning) air on the side of looking like something that was built 100 years ago, stripped of all flourishes / embellishment in the 50s, stuccoed in the 90s and recently painted to hide all of the aforementioned.

    SF, can we please try a little harder.

    1. I think that this is a perfect example as to why there needs to be stricter materials requirements for Market Street. Premium materials only—at least on the first few floors.

  5. Don’t worry CDG, I’ll stand up for you! I think it’s a brilliant Bauhaus-influenced piece of contemporary design, strongly reminiscent of German entries into the Chicago Tribune Competition…or something like that.

    But I’m curious, the text says “plans to ADD six stories”: does that mean the current building is being retained? How can it possibly accommodate that many more floors?

    1. Look at the rendering which clearly shows the retained brick facade of the existing building and the grey 6 floors above. How can they do that? Probably by gutting nearly all the existing structure EXCEPT the facade, putting in new foundations and a new structure for all 8 floors.

      1. I remember Salmagundi’s on Geary across from ACT and the Curran Theatre. Denzel Washington worked there. Was there another one?

        I don’t remember the arch. Barely remember the food. Cafeteria style, inexpensive. Not much like that anymore. Down the street was Elaine’s for the finer folk. Never made it in there.

  6. Given the narrow sidewalk on Grove St, the planned height is too high. Take a couple of storeys off on that side.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *