March 29, 2007
A Building, Coffee and Movement That We Love In Hayes Valley
The New York Times provides a peek inside, and some back ground on, Loring Sagan’s office (Sagan Piechota Architecture and Build Inc.), loft (for those late nights), and coffee bar (Blue Bottle Coffee) in Hayes Valley.
When Loring Sagan bought a decrepit building on Linden Street here in 2002, the surrounding area in the Hayes Valley neighborhood was desolate. But having inherited an affinity for social activism from his mother...he set out to do his part to improve the situation.
Indeed, Mr. Sagan and Mr. Winslow [a local architect] have serious ambitions for their part of town. In 2006 the two were awarded a challenge grant of $100,000 by the City of San Francisco for a master plan to make Linden Street more friendly to pedestrians. (The amount will be matched by contributions from Mr. Sagan and his businesses.) Another project under way is Parcel P, a 250-unit affordable-housing development that will begin construction a few blocks away next spring...
As a reader notes: “I always liked the building and wondered who lived there.” Us too, only we love the building (especially those bifold doors).
∙ Raw but Welcoming, a Space for Lofty Ideas [NYT]
First Published: March 29, 2007 10:22 AM
Comments from "Plugged In" Readers
Simply gorgeous...
Posted by: blahhh at March 29, 2007 4:26 PM
Great place. But I do hate how the NYT often gets simple facts wrong. Hayes Valley was desolate in 2002? Gimme a break. 1988, perhaps...but by the early/mid 90's the desolation was giving way to funky vitality and it's just gone up and up and up from there. As a 2002 entrant, Loring Sagan is not a pioneer but a latecomer. Still...what he's doing is absolutely wonderful - no argument there.
Posted by: curmudgeon at March 30, 2007 9:16 AM
It must have meant the immediate area of Linden Street. It doesn't say all of Hayes Valley was desolate, which would be all kinds of wrong. They do kind of word it to make it seem like he saved the whole neighborhood though.
Posted by: liz at March 30, 2007 9:57 AM
Somehow having people actively engaged seems to have enlivened the alley. I know that Dark Garden likes the activity, they are no longer alone for retail. Now there is Tazzi, as well. The community around Blue Bottle Coffee is a great place to hang. I think the article is more about the positive impact that pro-active engagement can make in any realm, whether the alley or other projects the folks upstairs are undertaking. They seem to be doing a good job of what they do.
Posted by: pam hart at April 3, 2007 2:39 AM
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