It was nine months ago that the news broke about Meany Sullivan’s purchase of the 26-story Pacific Telephone Building at 140 New Montgomery with plans of converting it from an office building to “a five-star hotel and condominium tower, with a spa, restaurant and bar.” And according to a plugged-in tipster that lives nearby (and in the picture), the project’s environmental review notice is making its rounds.
The proposed project is a seismic retrofit and a conversion of the approximately 377,000-square-foot, historic Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. Building from office to residential use. The proposed project would contain approximately 135 residential units on the 2nd floor to the 26th floor of the building for a total of about 368,000 square feet of residential space, and an approximately 8,500 square foot restaurant on the ground floor. The height of the building would remain unchanged. An existing below-grade parking garage, accessible from Natoma Street, would be used to accommodate up to 70 valet-parked cars. The proposed project would also include construction of a single-storey horizontal addition to the building on an existing parking lot on the south side of the building to support the residential use.
Also noted by our tipster: “There’s no mention…if this is a watered down version of the 5-star-luxury hotel residence that was mentioned last year, but it’s good to hear that the building will hopefully eventually move away from being derelict!”
Now about that “You didn’t hear it from me…The Waldorf-Astoria, San Francisco” comment a reader left last May…
∙ Another Office To Hotel/Condo Conversion: 140 New Montgomery [SocketSite]
I think this building is gorgeous. If you ever walk by, stop by the front door and peek into the lobby, it’s an art deco masterpiece with workmanship you just don’t see anymore. The lamps alone are fantastic. I feel bad for the lonely security guard that is always there welcoming…well no one. At least he’s in a beautiful surrounding.
Might the luxury hotel concept end up becoming a victim of the commercial real estate credit problem that appears to be forming?
The only projects that can still get funded are residential, leading to more and more and more residential.
I’ve admired this building for 20 years. It would be great if they did something with it.
I love this building from the Montgomery side. It just needs a Daily Planet globe up top.
Question — Over the past few years a small handful of downtown residential projects have come online. Has anyone noticed and increase in people hanging around downtown during the evenings and weekends? It still seems to me like the area east of Kearny closes down during non-business hours, much to the dismay of Embarcadero Center area store owners.
Bats: There’s definitely “Life” to be found on New Montgomery and 2nd street after workhours primarily due to the bar scene nearby on Minna and Natoma and the Art Students schlepping their canvases up and down the street. East of Kearny remains dead though as none of the lunch crowd eateries are open at night. We’ll see what happens when Millenium, Infinity, Rincon, and that new one on Howard and Hawthorn start filling in.
This building is a masterpiece. It seems like luxury residences, however they end up being organized and vended, are a much better use for this building than office space.
135 residences seems small for this size of building, no? Aren’t there about that many at 199 New Montgomery across the street?
^ Good point.
“135 residential units on the 2nd floor to the 26th floor of the building for a total of about 368,000 square feet of residential space”
An average of 2,725 square feet per unit? Wow.
I was lucky enough to have been able to work in this building (while working for Pacific Bell). You think the exterior and lobby are nice, you should see the ballroom on the top floor… views that are just amazing and the Art Deco work is jaw dropping
Confirmation from the Business Times: “Wilson Meany Sullivan has decided to drop the hotel component of its redevelopment of the historic Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. building at 140 New Montgomery St.”
http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/03/24/newscolumn1.html
I also worked in that building on many of its floors. The “ballroom” is an assembly hall, which incidentally, was where the break-up of the Bell System was announced to all of the PacTel headquarters employees. Prior to the meeting, the Simon and Garlfunkel tune, “Slip, sliding away” was playing. That says it all, the company just slipped, slided away.
I may move in! It will be just like old times!
my mom worked for Pacific Stock Exchange on the main floor for many years, many memories of going to her office after school ended for me. i remember going to the cafeteria with her and thought it was the best. love and miss the building, glad it will be turned in to residences, will have to move in! wish she was still here to see it happen.