299 5th Street: Exterior (Image Source: MapJack.com)

It’s one of those little buildings that you’ve probably driven by a thousand times and always wondered what’s inside (at the corner of 5th and Folsom). And now here’s your chance to see.

Built in 1998 and designed by AXIS Architecture + Design, we’re quite enamored with the urban patio and courtyard. Not to mention having a separate home office (896 Folsom) an Olympic hop, skip and a jump away.

∙ Listing: 299 5th Street (2/2.5) – $2,149,000 [MLS] [Virtual Tour]

23 thoughts on “You Know You’ve Always Wondered (And Here’s Your Chance To See)”
  1. Did they not repair that building after the ’89 earthquake? 🙂
    The location seems quite busy (bus stop, on the corner of 2 busy roads) to live in though.

  2. Anyone able to pull up the last sale information on this, I seem to recall this sold in 04 or 05 for a whole lot less.
    Interesting little building but would love to see something more significant permitted for this lot.

  3. This place just turned over in the last year or so. It looks the same as it did when it was on the market before.

  4. wait … that building is a SFH?!?!?!
    Wow, never would have guessed. Nice tour, but I would tend to agree that there has to be a better use of space on such a busy dense part of the city.
    Would like to see it bought and torn down and put to better use but what are the chances of that?

  5. Editor – nice way to spoil the PriceSpotter fun over at CurbedSF!!! Shame-shame… 🙁
    [Editor’s Note: You have got to be kidding.]

  6. What is the story with the elevated “stage/floor” in the “office” portion of this property? Sort of a “unique” feature that would limit its appeal to some, and perhaps increase to others.
    In any event, regarding redevelopment, I don’t know that it adds up. The site is 4,000 sf, RSD zoned, which is at most 1 unit per 200, or 20 units. At 2M plus for the site, or $500 psf, you would be paying 100K a unit on the dirt, which is hardly likely for this site. For comparison, the Shell site at 6th& Harrison is for sale as a development project, same zoning, asking is $3.8 or just more than $300 psf.

  7. “Anyone able to pull up the last sale information on this, I seem to recall this sold in 04 or 05 for a whole lot less.”
    Sale date 3/14/2006
    Sale price $1,700,000
    Sale date 11/21/2001
    Sale price $1,400,000
    Recorded under the 896 Folsom address.

  8. So it went up $450k in the last 2 years — a period that everything else in the country went down?

  9. It’s… um… interesting on the outside and quite nice on the inside. I just can’t imagine why anyone would want to live in this hood. Certainly not anyone who had the kind of money to actually live somewhere nice.

  10. I remember when the previous building on the site was red tagged after the 89 earthquake. (yes, I’ve been here awhile..) Eventually they built this thing, which even then seemed to me to be the most ridiculously low-intensity use of urban land. Granted, this was before Yerba Buena Lofts, etc. But it still seemed (and still seems) like so much architectural masturbation.

  11. Good point that most of the value is in the land, but until the zoning changes you have to give each unit one parking space here which you cannot do at the 1 unit per 200 SF density unless you go underground. A lot of the time it doesn’t pencil out to incur the higher expense of going underground for parking (not to mention water table and hazmat concerns when you start digging in SOMA) for a few more units on a small development site. So realize that the allowable density in the zoning is often just a starting point and there are other factors at play (like the height limit as well).

  12. Ummmmm architecturally significant ? Does that mean it cant be torn down?
    Two million for a view out of glass blocks, Good luck to the agent

  13. Wow, surprising to me how negative everyone is. I’d totally live here. It would be nice with a little more natural light, but the location is just as good as the Intercontinental and better than SOMA Grand, but you have your own secret single family home.

  14. location is fantastic, imho. it is minutes (walking) from everything you could need: a block from the yerba buena compound; on the same block as oola, lulu and it’s yoga; 2 blocks from bloomingdales/the mall; 2 blocks from whole foods; 2 blocks from club one at yerba buena; 3 blocks from muni/bart; close to the freeways. we live very close by, and paid $2M (yes, that’s an M) for our place, and love it.

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