[FourOneFive]

Well, it looks like San Francisco's skyline is going to get two new additions soon (three if you count 301 Mission). The new renderings of 300 Spear were released last month, and the project should begin construction this April. The two towers of 300 Spear will be constructed first, and then 201 Folsom will be built after 300 Spear is completed.

300 Spear Street (and 201 Folsom Street):

function: residential
height(s): 300 Spear: 400'/350' and 201 Folsom: 400'/350'
floors: 300 Spear: 40/35 and 201 Folsom: 40/35
architect: Heller Manus Architects/ Arquitectonica
completion: 2007-2009

Old:

(the two towers of 300 Spear are in the background)
http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/images/Feature0126_06x.jpg

(the two towers in the foreground)
http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/images/Feature0126_07x.jpg

New:

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/04/18/ba_rincon_18_ph01.jpg
http://63.240.68.122/FirmFiles/25/images/300tsp-ms-northwest2.jpghttp://63.240.68.122/FirmFiles/25/images/121704_0428.jpg

Comments? Can we all say VAST improvement? :D

[Fabb]

It's a VAST improvement.

Will 201 Folsom be redesigned as well ?

[igzaklee]

nicely done SF! :)


patience and persistence, patience and persistence, pat...

[Chase Unperson]

Sweet and vast

I wouldn't mind picking up a unit in one of them.

[Steely Dan]

wow, that really is a VAST improvement. the original scheme was so damn bland and generic. the new designs look far more interesting.

[Buck]

Big improvement! These are very nice, very Lake Point Tower-ish.

[FourOneFive]

It's a VAST improvement.

Will 201 Folsom be redesigned as well ?

The project's owner, Tishman Speyer, still has another 2 years before construction will begin on 201 Folsom, so they have plenty of time to redesign that project as well. Let's hope they will because next to 300 Spear, 201 Folsom will almost appear second rate.

[LAMetroGuy]

nice, too bad they are not taller... SF really needs some height!

[FourOneFive]

Even though these towers aren't supertalls, they're directly on the waterfront (well a block away). They'll definetly have a significant impact on the skyline.

As for height, 301 Mission, the 625', 60 story mixed use high-rise, should begin construction by April. They are currently demolishing the existing buildings on the site.

http://sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/2003/12/21/ba_towers21d.jpg

[Chicago3rd]

Very Classy! Am excited to see them going up!

[Matty]

I really like how they put the balconies into the curve like that, really really good design overall!

[Chase Unperson]

Big improvement! These are very nice, very Lake Point Tower-ish.

I thought the same thing, except these are balconized which will be sweet for those living there. I'm not certain but it looks like 300 spear and 201 Folsom will have a four leaf clover floor plan while LPT is a three leaf clover. And LPT is a smooth undulating sheet all the way up while 300 and 201 appear to have a biphasic surface with the top ten floors differing from the bottom 30. If the actual buildings' color matches the color of images, they will be so lovely. I am a sucker for that blue-steel glass

Here is the 1968 69 floor/645 foot LPT for comparision. On some days it is my favorite skyscraper. I'm all for any buildings that share things in common with it.

http://www.pbase.com/tsj/image/27995379.jpg

[Stephenapolis]

Even though I did not mind the old design. The new one is fabulous. It looks much better.

[colemonkee]

^I agree. I thought the old design was fine, but the new is great as well. The only drawback I see with the new design is for the people who will live there. It appears to have lost the rooftop pool and public area on the low-rise portion. It looks like the residents will look down on a plain roof. Otherwise, they're a great addition to the skyline that will be fun to watch rise from the Bay Bridge view.

301 Mission is pretty tits too. Can I say tits on this forum?;)

[mSeattle]

Looks great!

[James Bond Agent 007]

Agreed, a VAST improvement!

[2048]

I agree that the new designs are a lot better. They look a lot more modern and the old ones just look dull.

[trickykid]

Those are great. The curves will look great in the skyline!

[Dream'n]

Beautiful.

[kazpmk]

Excavation has begun apparently on 300 Spear.

Image by naughtyins0mniac (SSC)(Posted APR 2 2005)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/naughtyins0mniac/f_r_i_s_c_o/92dd859b.jpg

Are these thread heights and floors figures accurate ?
300 Spear: 400'/350'
40/35 floors

Emporis has 300 Spear at 34 and 32 floors

The pic is from April 2, so hopefully someone could take a photo of the site now and see if there is activity.

[Stephenapolis]

Thanks for the update.

[buildup]

I like both projects in the rendering.

[FourOneFive]

Excavation has begun apparently on 300 Spear.

Image by naughtyins0mniac (SSC)(Posted APR 2 2005)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/naughtyins0mniac/f_r_i_s_c_o/92dd859b.jpg

Are these thread heights and floors figures accurate ?
300 Spear: 400'/350'
40/35 floors

Emporis has 300 Spear at 34 and 32 floors

The pic is from April 2, so hopefully someone could take a photo of the site now and see if there is activity.

thanks for finding that pic. the height and floor counts for 300 Spear Street are accurate. emporis's data is outdated. i'll try to take a pic later this week if possible.

[FourOneFive]

more renderings:

http://www.msechman.com/images/portfolio/3b.jpg

http://www.msechman.com/images/portfolio/3a.jpg

http://www.msechman.com/images/portfolio/3c.jpg

[FourOneFive]

how often does this happen when you're building skyscrapers?

Few clues unearthed about mystery ship buried after Gold Rush
Dug up at condo project, site of old 'maritime junkyard'
- Carl Nolte, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 8, 2005

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/09/08/ba_ship595_ward.jpghttp://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/09/08/ba_ship596_ward.jpg
http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/09/07/ba_shipwreck_fx107.jpghttp://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/09/07/ba_shipwreck_fx108.jpg

Construction crews building a new high-rise condominium project in downtown San Francisco have uncovered a maritime mystery -- the remains of a large wooden sailing ship that probably dates from the 1849 Gold Rush.

The bones of the old ship were discovered last week 20 feet below Folsom Street near Spear Street, the site of a 650-unit building now under construction. Passers-by on Folsom Street could see the stern section of a ship, lying on its side. The ship was about 125 feet long, built of thick wooden timbers, and had a rudder about 6 feet high.

Archaeologists could not say much about this ship, though Richard Everett, a curator at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, said that the site had once been the location of a ship-breaking yard owned by Charles Haer, and the ship was almost surely a relic of the Gold Rush.

Haer specialized in acquiring ships that had been anchored and left to moulder away in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Cove. He had them towed to his yard at what is now Folsom and Spear streets, where he employed Chinese crews to dismantle the ships. Typically, ship-breaking yards tried to salvage metal fittings and usable timber. "It was a kind of maritime junkyard,'' Everett said.

Haer, who operated his ship-breaking business for about 10 years, had plenty of ships to choose from. More than 805 vessels, carrying passengers from all over the world, entered the Golden Gate in 1849 alone as San Francisco turned from a village into a city almost overnight.

The ships anchored in Yerba Buena Cove in what is now downtown San Francisco. Most of them never went to sea again, abandoned as their passengers and often their entire crew left in search of gold.

Some were put to other uses -- offices, stores and a hotel. One ship was even used as the city jail. Most rotted away and were sold for scrap.

The discovery of the ship at Folsom Street was described as "awesome'' by James Allan, an archaeologist with William Self Associates, a firm that is cataloging the remains of the ship.

Allan thinks the ship is very old -- built, he thinks, in the 1820s, perhaps as early as 1810. Old ships like this were pressed into service to carry gold seekers to California. In many cases, it was their last voyage.

The ship comes complete with a mystery. The stern section is mostly intact, Allan said, but the bow is missing. "He (Haer) started salvaging the ship but never finished,'' Allan said. "I have no idea why.''

Tishman Speyer, the firm that is developing the condominium project, released a statement from its spokesmen in New York, promising to "strictly adhere'' to San Francisco guidelines for excavation and documentation of the ship.

The discovery is one of about 40 ships known to lie under the streets of downtown San Francisco. Marine historian James Delgado, who has written a book on San Francisco's buried ships, thinks there may be as many as 75 ships under downtown, most of them as yet undiscovered.

The last buried ship to be uncovered was the General Harrison, a Gold Rush ship discovered in the Financial District in 2001.

Allan said he and representatives of Tishman Speyer would meet with experts from the S.F. Maritime Historical Park to see how much of the ship could be salvaged and how to proceed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[FRED]

Beautiful renderings, nice project !!!

[Stephenapolis]

I think it is really cool when they have finds like that ship under a construction site. Even though it does slow down the pace of work on the site. It is still fascinating to have such finds.

[CGII]

how often does this happen when you're building skyscrapers?

As I recall a large office tower in downtown NY's construction was halted for a period because of excavational finds. I can't remember the tower though, might've been Chase or one of the black boxes around there (ie US Steel)

[Marvel 33]

These projects are going make quite a visual statement in that part of town. It looks like the development is moving south of market. Those buildings are close enought to the water that they'll be very visible from the other side of the bridge.

[FourOneFive]

300 Spear Under Construction (12/24/05):

http://static.flickr.com/37/82376571_8d4c0cfd5c.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/42/82376569_b349a1b9b6.jpg

[banned]

That's a deep hole.

[rocketman_95046]

wow that is a deep hole...

nice to see an update. thanks.

[ltsmotorsport]

Good to see excavation moving along quickly though.

[Sacto]

Great, thanks for the update.

[rocketman_95046]

As if 415’s pics demanded an explanation… Webcor Construction provides a project update…

http://www.webcor.com/current.html?proj_id=194

UPDATE
As neighbors and passer-bys who hear the pounding hammers can attest, we’ve hit rock bottom.

The project has now hauled out over 150,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock, and has reached the bottom of excavation in the Southeast corner. The first tower crane will be erected mid-January, hovering over 150 feet above street level. The final height of crane at project’s end will tower at over 400 feet above the street.

Excavation and shoring continue along the North and West sides, with the battalion of excavators, hammers, and drills beginning to carve out the bottom of the deepest portion of the 14 foot-thick mat foundation. Dewatering efforts have become more refined in order to protect the subgrade from groundwater penetrating into the site, which sits at one of the lowest points of the water table. Once excavation of the West side becomes more developed, a second tower crane of about 330 feet above street level will be erected. A manhoist descending down into the hole is among the more unique sights that can also be expected by month’s end.

The project welcomes the Webcor Concrete Group, whose operation is growing day by day as the excavation becomes more defined and the project gears up for pouring the building foundation.
....................................................................................................

nice to hear that we will see a tower crane this month:banana:

[The Cheat]

http://svmetro.com/photos/san_francisco-2006-01/300_spear-panorama-small.jpg
Enlarge (http://svmetro.com/photos/san_francisco-2006-01/300_spear-panorama.jpg)

[rocketman_95046]

For anyone who wanted to know where that ship came from, this is the rest of the stroy.

Experts dig up nautical past of long-buried 1818 whaler

Carl Nolte, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, January 28, 2006

http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2006/01/28/mn_0_whaling_ship.jpg
The bones of an old ship found by workers digging the foundations for a San Francisco high-rise last fall have been identified as the remains of a 188-year-old whaling ship out of the era made famous by Herman Melville's classic novel "Moby-Dick."

Maritime archaeologists are sure the ship is the three-masted bark Candace, built in Boston in 1818, which had a long career in the sea trades and later in hunting sperm whales in the South Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian oceans.

It also was one of the first American flag merchant ships to trade in the Pacific, years before the Oregon Territory and California became parts of the United States.

The Candace turned up in San Francisco after an ill-fated whaling voyage to the Arctic, where it was damaged in the pack ice. The ship had been at sea on a whaling voyage for two years, and Capt. Norman Starr decided to head home for New England. But the ship even then was old; leaking badly, and with the crew working the pumps as if their lives depended on it, the Candace made the Golden Gate on July 4, 1855.

It never sailed again. It was partly dismantled and eventually buried under the growing new city -- forgotten for nearly 150 years.

Its discovery is considered significant enough that the nearly intact hull of the old ship will become the centerpiece of the San Francisco History Museum when it opens in 2008 at the Old Mint in downtown San Francisco. "We consider it a coup,'' said Gil Castle, executive director of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, which is raising money to convert the mint at Fifth and Mission streets into a museum.

The saga of the Candace is part sea story, part detective work and partly a look into the economics of early San Francisco and the role of Chinese workers in the 1850s.

The bones of dozens of old ships lie under the streets of downtown San Francisco -- most of them abandoned after the Gold Rush of 1849. The Candace is the first one to be preserved intact.

"Before this ship, all the ships unearthed in San Francisco have been destroyed or reburied, burying our history forever,'' said James Allan, a maritime archaeologist who helped identify the ship.

Allan believes the discovery and preservation of the Candace is an important historical event on a number of levels.

Allan was the consulting archaeologist called in late last summer when work crews found the timbers of what appeared to be an old ship while excavating the foundations for two high-rise towers near Folsom Street in the South of Market district. Allan knew that in the 1850s, the area had been the location of a ship-dismantling yard run by Charles Hare, a pioneer businessman.

The yard was significant for a number of reasons, Allen said. Hare employed only Chinese workers, "men on the margins of society at that time, workers who were excluded from most employment,'' Allan said.

When Allan looked at the timbers, he realized it was a small sailing ship, about 100 feet long. He consulted James Delgado, executive director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum in Canada, an old friend who had begun his career at the San Francisco National Maritime Historical Park.

They consulted old San Francisco newspaper accounts, ship logs, other maritime museums, and the Center for Wood Anatomy Research run by the U.S. Forest Service in Madison, Wis.

The two concluded that the ship was made of three kinds of oak and two kinds of pine and was built on the east coast of the United States around 1820. One newspaper account mentioned five ships in the process of being scrapped at the Hare yard. One ship was too small, another too big, and two others were disqualified for other reasons. That left the Candace, a whaler.

One big clue: Allan had found two sperm whale teeth in the bowels of the ship.

Delgado and Allan love ships, the older the better. Delgado likes to speak of them in the present tense: "The Candace is built in Boston in 1818, sails in the South America trade, then into the Pacific. This is a ship that carried the American flag into the Pacific,'' he said.

He quotes old articles, one from a Captain Bates, who sailed aboard the Candace as a passenger from Callao, Peru, in November 1823. He wrote about the "thrill that fills the soul when the order is given to weigh anchor for home.''

He also wrote of a storm in the Atlantic, of sighting the coast of the United States after three months at sea, of taking on a sea pilot off Rhode Island. "What's the news of the states, pilot?'' the captain asked. "What's the state of the world? Who's to be our next president?'' It was that long ago.

The Candace became a whaler later, sailing from New London, Conn.

Delgado said more than 2,500 whaling voyages began from New London, as many as from the more famous Nantucket.

Each trip took two years, at least, and the Candace hunted whales (using small boats and harpooners) in the South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and finally the Arctic for 17 years. The normal complement was 25 men. The ship was 99 feet, 8 inches long and 26 feet wide.

The Candace was discovered under the foundation site in September, removed to a warehouse on the San Francisco waterfront in October, and cleaned up.

"I loved finding this ship's story,'' said Delgado. "That's why I'm in this business.''

E-mail Carl Nolte at cnolte@sfchronicle.com.

[BVictor1]

That article is very fascinating. It makes me wonder what interesting things lie under the surface here in Chicago, waiting to be discovered.

[colemonkee]

Fantastic article. That will make one hell of an exhibit at the museum. I'll have to go up there when it opens in '08.

Can any of the Bay Area forumers verify if the first tower crane has started to rise? In The Cheat's photo, you can see the base is in place (bottom right corner), and the update that rocketman posted said mid-January, which we're well past.

[J Church]

Don't think that it has.

Perhaps a bit off-topic, but I never tire of these things (inlaid in sidewalks downtown):

http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/financial/shoreline_north.jpg

Half the Financial District was once underwater. A pretty surreal thought.

[rocketman_95046]

^actually, according to EastBayHardCore the crane is up... this was from the bay area construction tidbits thread a while back.

Drove into the city yesterday for the first time in a few months and I noticed that there's a big yellow crane at 300 Spear. It'll still probably be a good while before that deep basement gets completed and we start to see the structure going up.

[rocketman_95046]

Webcor Construction's update...

UPDATE
Excavation is complete for over 50 percent of project footprint, and after 7 months of digging, the sight of smooth concrete can be seen gradually overtaking the mud and rock at the bottom of the hole. The first tower crane was erected on a weekend that began with torrents of rain, but ended ,with bright California sunshine.

In the next few weeks, the project will be installing reinforcement for the mat foundation. Excavation and shoring will also continue along the West wall, with soil nail drilling and off-hauling taking turns due to the dwindling size of the dirt mound on which to work. A second tower crane will be installed once the remainder of the dirt near bottom.

As more subcontractors join the project and the Concrete group’s own workforce grows, Webcor will need to employ creative ways to utilize the scant and precious real estate around the jobsite. Preliminary plans for generating laydown space include platforms cantilevering over the hole and 2nd-level decks built above storage boxes. The jobsite boundary also expands by extending into a lane of traffic on three sides each day, but contracts back to a tighter space at night. The limited space is just among one of the unique challenges of working in a high-density metropolitan neighborhood which the team faces.

[rocketman_95046]

Update for March 7 from webcor

The portion under the Main Street Tower of the 300 Spear project can now be seen steadily rising up out of the foundation.

Crews have been busy assembling the self-climbing formwork system which will form the core walls of the tower. This self climbing system has double-decked platforms on which to work, and lifts itself with hydraulic jacks, eliminating the need for crane assistance.

The mat under the Main St. Midrise was completed in the project’s 2nd successful all-night concrete pour, leaving only 2 more mat pours. Rat slabs and hold downs have been installed on the remainder of the site, and daily shotcrete operations to place the 5-story structural perimeter wall are under way as well

http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spearmarch11141751081.jpg http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spearmarch21141751104.jpg

[StevenW]

Very nice! I like it a lot! :)

[The Cheat]

I can't believe how deep that pit is. It's something like 8 levels of parking down there. I guess all the residential units need their 2 parking spaces.

[craeg]

I thought I had read it was 50 feet deep.

[rocketman_95046]

I can't believe how deep that pit is. It's something like 8 levels of parking down there. I guess all the residential units need their 2 parking spaces.

The architect says 5 basement levels and 777 parking spaces for 655 Units a ratio of 1.2.

http://www.hellermanus.com/portfolio_project_hm.cfm?ProjectID=%26%24HS%2DZ%3D4A%0A&categoryid=%22%24H4%24%0A

[kazpmk]

I was reading the construction article in Fed 2006. It sounds like foundation work still did not begin at that point. Did actual foundation work not begin until 2006??

[fflint]

kazpmk, your signature exceeds the maximum length of five lines.

[rocketman_95046]

Up up up and out of the hole….

http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/DSCN7425smaller.jpg

Courtesy of http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com/blog/

[ltsmotorsport]

Sweeeeeeet.

[The Cheat]

Nice. I'll be able to see something above ground next time I'm in SF. The core seems awfully close to the street.

[rocketman_95046]

300 spear update from webcor...

May, 2006:
By month’s end, the concrete structure for half the project will have reached street level. The core wall of the Folsom and Main Street tower is over four stories above grade, with a lift pouring every five days.

In an all-night operation, the largest hydro crane west of the Mississippi picked three excavators and dirt roller out of the hole, and replaced them with a Bauer drill rig. Remediation shoring is now under way on the Spear Street wall of the project. A system of soldier beams and tie backs will be installed along the bermed-up wall.

A second tower crane will be erected on the south side, by the already standing Liebherr 630 crane. This crane will be the second of three cranes total on the project.


March 2006:
The portion under the Main Street Tower of the 300 Spear project can now be seen steadily rising up out of the foundation.

Crews have been busy assembling the self-climbing formwork system which will form the core walls of the tower. This self climbing system has double-decked platforms on which to work, and lifts itself with hydraulic jacks, eliminating the need for crane assistance.

The mat under the Main St. Midrise was completed in the project’s 2nd successful all-night concrete pour, leaving only 2 more mat pours. Rat slabs and hold downs have been installed on the remainder of the site, and daily shotcrete operations to place the 5-story structural perimeter wall are under way as well

http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/folsommaintwr_5_061147195616.jpghttp://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear_5_061147195647.jpg

[sf_eddo]

From Main & Folsom, with people hanging off!

http://static.flickr.com/53/143615234_ea3ac21b42_b.jpg

[FourOneFive]

updates courtesy of pacifican:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/lawrenz0d/SF/pics0029a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/lawrenz0d/SF/pics0033aa.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/lawrenz0d/SF/pics0034a.jpg

update from webcor:

May, 2006:
By month’s end, the concrete structure for half the project will have reached street level. The core wall of the Folsom and Main Street tower is over four stories above grade, with a lift pouring every five days.

In an all-night operation, the largest hydro crane west of the Mississippi picked three excavators and dirt roller out of the hole, and replaced them with a Bauer drill rig. Remediation shoring is now under way on the Spear Street wall of the project. A system of soldier beams and tie backs will be installed along the bermed-up wall.

A second tower crane will be erected on the south side, by the already standing Liebherr 630 crane. This crane will be the second of three cranes total on the project.

[rocketman_95046]

300 spear aka the infinity has updated their website with some good views of what the building will bring and other features.

http://www.the-infinity.com/

[rocketman_95046]

update from webcor...

June 2006
The project has transitioned to using flyer tables in the Main Street Tower – which is poured through Level 5. The Main Street Podium is poured through Level 1. Extensive shoring and excavation will take place for the next few weeks on Main Street for the project’s electrical vaults.

A smaller second tower crane is now nestled under the swing of the larger crane, and will greatly help operations on the midrise side of the project.

Excavation of the Spear Street dirt berm has begun, and a second row of tie-backs on the East shoring wall is being installed.

Above-grade hoists will be installed by July, and an all-glass skin system should begin to go up by August

[BTinSF]

Checked it out today. Looked to me like the central services core was up to about the 9th or 10th floor and they were placing rebar for the 6th floor of the surrounding tower (this is the shorter of the two towers--the taller tower is not really under construction yet).

[rocketman_95046]

Webcor Update...

July 2006
The Main Street Tower is poured through the 8th floor and should be climbing steadily at a 4-day cycle from here on out. Installation of the glass curtainwall will begin in August, with framing of the interiors following close behind.

The Main Street Midrise is at Level 3. Curtainwall will not be installed on that building until end of the year.

Excavation on the East half of the project will continue through the end of the month, and a third tower crane will be erected mid-August when the excavation is complete. Two more all-night mat pours are just around the corner.

http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/theinfinity300spearjuly2006image21152834516.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/theinfinity300spearjuly2006image31152834536.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/theinfinity300spearjuly2006image41152834560.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/theinfinity300spearjuly2006image51152834574.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/theinfinity300spearjuly2006image61152834587.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/theinfinityr300spearjuly2006image11152834599.jpg

[AK47KC]

I walked by the site today and things have changed considerably since the last post above. On the weekend of July 22-23, I saw men working on the lifting rig and the larger crane was raised, since equipment building the elevator core was almost as high as the crane boom. Work on the Main St. highrise is on the 9th floor and I saw what seemed to be the first pieces of the glass curtainwall on the northern side of the highrise. Rebar on the elevator core reaches to the 12th floor and the crane towers over the construction site for now.

[rocketman_95046]

^Are they finished excavating for the second tower yet?

[AK47KC]

I didn't actually walk right up to the site, just bypassed it on the other side of Spear Street, but my guess is they probably are finished with the excavation; if they aren't they should be close to finishing by now since the third tower crane should go up not far from now. I will go walk right up to the site tomorrow and see if the excavation is complete. Oh, also, before I found this thread in this forum, I started an article on this project on Wikipedia.com. I think the information I put on the article about the project is accurate, but if it's wrong, anyone can go to article and edit the information. There's also 10 pictures of the project I took from 7/16-7/25 on the article. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_Spear_Street

[AK47KC]

I walked by the site today again, but closer this time. The excavation is not complete; I saw an excavator removing dirt from where the Spear St. midrise is going to rise. As for the thing that looked like a glass curtainwall from afar, it turned out to be a small little wall covering two vertical pipes that were recently installed. The wall was located very close to the edge of Infinity II and from afar I mistakingly thought it was the glass curtainwall.

[rocketman_95046]

Thanks for the update. You mind posting your pics on this site?

[AK47KC]

I'll try to get some newer pictures posted here sometime next week, since the ones at wikipedia are a bit old, meanwhile:

I passed the site today again and it seems like the excavation is complete. I saw a concrete mat or foundation for the Spear St. highrise (Infinity I) and midrise. There were wooden forms poking out of the massive foundation mat as well, waiting to be filled with concrete. In addition, there's dark-green curtainwall glass, packaged and wrapped placed all over the site. Some of them lie on the 3rd and 4th floor of Infinity II and some lie on Folsom St. Near the small piece of wall covering the two vertical pipes, the first piece of curtainwall glass is up already. The third crane should go up soon.

[AK47KC]

Here are the pictures (all newer pics are dated 8/6):
Yesterday on Sunday, 8/6, I stopped by the site and the crane was raised again, probably on Saturday, 8/5. I wasn't there to see the Morrow Crane people raise the bigger tower crane, but I saw their work. The tower crane was raised more than last time and it seems to be at or above the top of the nearby Gap building. The crane is tall enough to be seen on Third St. near the Potrero power plant.

Raised crane towering over the site.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/TowerCrane.jpg

Another pic of the crane and the smaller crane.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/300SpearSt.jpg

For those of you who love seeing glass, here it is, the first piece of curtailwall and the blue lift used to move the pieces. There are more pieces of glass lying all over the site from the delivery on 8/1. Today, 8/7, they put up 5 bigger pieces of glass when I passed the site at around 2:00 pm. They probably put up more pieces when I was at work.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/FirstGlass.jpg

The big pit. Excavation is done, the ground is all covered with the massive foundation mat and the two excavators that were seen on Spear St. in late-July are gone.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/300SpearPit.jpg

Old pics, taken sometime ago:

Site on 7/25.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/SiteinJuly.jpg

Men working on the lifting rig, taken during the first lift (weekend of 7/22-7/23).
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/Menworking.jpg

Bigger crane after first lift and concrete structure (7/23).
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/Raisedcrane1sttime.jpg

Crane and concrete structure on 7/16 (before any of the lifts).
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/Cranebeforelift.jpg

I will probably do another update on the project later this week, since there seems to be a lot of work happening on the site.

[sf_eddo]

There is so much progress going on at Spear! Thanks for sharing your pictures and knowledge!

[rocketman_95046]

thanks for the pics again... any signs of the Third and final tower crane?

[EastBayHardCore]

Now it's starting to get interesting. I can barely make out the curves in the cement that will give the towers their distinct look! Thanks for the pics AK, looking forward to more updates :)

[AK47KC]

Thanks for the comments, more pics here.

With so much activity going on, I decided to post an update today. Well, it the site was just absolutely busy today, with a new shipment of curtainwall glass panels arriving on a truck. The workers were really busy getting ready to unload the pieces on to the site. Meanwhile, up on the concrete core, wooden forms were being placed, pipes were being welding and lots of materials were being moved around to get them ready to be used. I circled the site to take the 17 pictures below, dated today, 8/8. As for the third tower crane, I haven't seen any sign of it. Webcor's site said mid-August, so maybe wait a week or so and then the third crane may rise. The site to me does look a little cramped for the third tower crane, so it could be a luffing-jib crane, with two tower cranes, a concrete core, and nearby buildings surrounding the site where the third crane will rise. I saw a hole in the massive foundation mat under the future Spear St. midrise, it's probably location of the elevator core that will rise. 56k, beware.

The smaller crane and progress on the Main St. midrise. The concrete core for this tower was poking up already.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6078.jpg

Lower part of the bigger crane and the panels of installed glass curtainwall from 8/7.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6079.jpg

Truck with shipment of curtainwall glass pieces.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6080.jpg

Main St. highrise and midrise.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6081.jpg

Main St. highrise concrete core.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6082.jpg

Closer look at the pipes, walls, and the green glass.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6091.jpg

Mobile crane on Spear St. This could be used to erect the third crane.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6090.jpg

Tall crane and upper part of the concrete core. When the core catches up to the crane sometime later this year, the concrete core will make an impact on the San Francisco skyline, especially the view toward SF from Treasure Island. I saw the crane briefly when I was riding Caltrain and the crane is taller than the Gap tower nearby and I estimate it is around 290-300 ft. tall. (Gap tower is, I think, 275 ft.) I also saw the raised Rincon Hill crane in front (update on that later.)
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6089.jpg

View of the work on the upper floors.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6088.jpg

Elevator on Folsom St.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6087.jpg

The worksite, overall view.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6086.jpg

Smaller crane and mobile crane.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6085.jpg

Another pic of the Main St. highrise.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6084.jpg

Lower view of work.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6083.jpg

More glass.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6075.jpg

View from Spear St.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6076.jpg

View from Main St.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6077.jpg

If there is more activity on the site, I will post another update on the same day.

[EastBayHardCore]

That green glass is purrrdy.

[AK47KC]

Looks like the third tower crane is going up right now; I saw a tall mobile crane setting up the tower crane when I drove by on I-80. Sry, no pics, since I'm in Davis right now, maybe on the 17th I will post an update.

[FourOneFive]

i know it sounds bad, but i actually get excited when i see AK47KC make a post to this thread. i'm always expecting kick ass photos! :D i can't wait to see if there's more glass added to the tower(s). thanks for the update!

[AK47KC]

Update as promised.

More curtainwall glass was placed and both buildings on Main continue to push skyward. The small mobile crane seen above was gone and a tall, black mobile crane was erected on Spear St. The tall mobile crane will aid construction of both the Spear St. midrise and highrise. It will also be used to construct the third tower crane and today, I saw a piece of it on the street.

Here are the pics.

Pics I forgot to load before going to UC Davis, dated 8/11, last week.

Site on 8/11.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6092.jpg
Core of the Infinity II
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6093.jpg
More glass placed.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6094.jpg
Another view of the core.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6095.jpg
And yet more glass.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6096.jpg
Midrise and cranes.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6097.jpg
Another pic of the glass.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6098.jpg

Pics from 8/16.

The site and the cranes.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6114.jpg
Rising taller.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/3f63dab4.jpg
View from near 301 Mission and the Transbay Terminal.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/b48675fb.jpg

Pics on 8/17.

Glass...glass...glass.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/0894a340.jpg
Here it goes, the third tower crane, or a piece of it.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/f8167465.jpg
Crane and the Infinity II.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/49b9221b.jpg

If you want more pics, say so, because I walk by the site (and One Rincon and Millennium Tower at 301 Mission) almost everyday.

[sf_eddo]

I'm LOVING the curved green glass. Rawr.

[fflint]

Totally--both the color and the variability in reflection are awesome.

[FourOneFive]

is the glass attached directly to the concrete?

[AK47KC]

Probably, I saw holes in the concrete floor edges where the glass curtainwall pieces are locked and secured to the concrete. Look carefully in the pictures, you may see it.

[hoosier]

Probably, I saw holes in the concrete floor edges where the glass curtainwall pieces are locked and secured to the concrete. Look carefully in the pictures, you may see it.

Hi, Ak47C. Excellent pictures. You do a good job capturing the whole site. Maybe you can post updates evey week or so? That should be a long enough interval to notice progress on the buildings. Thanks.

[EastBayHardCore]

Post them as frequently as you want AK47C. I don't think anyone here will complain about seeing too many pics.

[FourOneFive]

i was in san francisco this past weekend and i snapped a shot of 300 spear from the bay bridge. sorry for the quality!

http://static.flickr.com/87/226683800_b07e3513bc_o.jpg

i'm assuming the primary tower under construction now is the 350' 35 story one (as well as the 8 story mid-rise). when will we see the other 400' 40 story tower begin to rise from the ground?

[SteelCity15]

great pictures of the foundation work


gonna look really nice:tup:

[BTinSF]

i was in san francisco this past weekend and i snapped a shot of 300 spear from the bay bridge. sorry for the quality!

http://static.flickr.com/87/226683800_b07e3513bc_o.jpg

i'm assuming the primary tower under construction now is the 350' 35 story one (as well as the 8 story mid-rise). when will we see the other 400' 40 story tower begin to rise from the ground?

You probably passed closer to One Rincon Hill ('cause it's right next to the bridge approaches) but so far there's less to see--just starting to rise above the pediment.

[AK47KC]

It's been a while since I posted anything here, soo...

The pic from the bridge isn't too bad. The other tower crane behind the Infinity II (near the JP Morgan Chase tower) is Barclay's future HQ.

Well, work is progressing really fast on the site. The piece of the third tower crane (probably the first, foundation piece) that lay on Spear St. for like a week or so, waiting for the footings to be modified so it could be firmly locked into the concrete is finally in the pit now. Work on the third tower crane seems to be running behind schedule, since it should be up by now (there's no sign of it on from the street. Safety netting is totally in place to catch anyone or anything that falls down. The small, purple wall that used to only cover two vertical pipes (anyone remember from 7/25?) and made me think it was curtainwall is now covering a large part of the Infinity II (see pics) 35 storey tower. I think work on the 40 storey tower, or Infinity I has begun already and which one is the true height of the tower, 400' as listed here and sfcityscape.com or 450' (137 m) on emporis.com? Anyway, the Infinity I has finished floors reaching to 13 stories and the framework reaches 15 stories. The concrete core is around 19-20 stories high and probably is visible from Treasure Island. The midrise reaches to the 5th storey.

Old, old pics from 8/18 (from near the Millennium Tower).
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6132.jpg
Work on the midrise.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6133.jpg

Not too old pics from 8/25.
Traveling north on I-280 (near 22nd St.) on a foggy morning to my work, anyone spot BOTH the Rincon Hill and the Infinity tower crane? When the concrete structure of the Infinity II building catches up to the crane, the skyline will be affected.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6159.jpg
Heading towards the site on Folsom St.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6160.jpg
Getting closer and more curtainwall.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6161.jpg
Midrise.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6162.jpg
Infinity II
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6163.jpg
View of the concrete core and work continuing and power line.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6164.jpg
More glass and the little piece of grey concrete sticking out.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6165.jpg
Purple wall on the edge. They put a lot up from 8/20 to 8/25 it seems. I just hope that's not the final color.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6166.jpg
Another view.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6167.jpg
Mobile crane and midrise.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6168.jpg
More glass and the footing of the tall crane.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6169.jpg
They placed the first piece of the third tower crane.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6170.jpg
Cranes.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6171.jpg
Another pic of cranes.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6172.jpg
The big pit, no more dirt, only concrete and rebar, and the piece of tower crane seems to be hidden behind that grey box.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6173.jpg
At this time I left to take pics of Rincon Hill, but I came back.
Crane from near the gas station, with the 28 storey Metro tower to the left and the 20 storey Avalon.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6181.jpg
Elevator and glass.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6182.jpg

Worksite on 8/28.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6183.jpg
Structure is getting closer to the crane, a third tower crane raise seems likely in September.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6184.jpg

These are the last pics for a while from me on this project, I'll be in the skyscraper city of the world, Hong Kong.

[Thefigman]

Thanks for the pics!

Back in April, I was having a hard time finding the building from my hotel window at the Marriott. Now I know why. My hotel room was facing in the wrong direction.

[rocketman_95046]

The reason that the one side has "No" green glass but rather the blue pannels is because that will be the wall that is blocked by the midrise.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/AK47KC/DSCN6183.jpg

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/04/18/ba_rincon_18_ph01.jpg

[Dougall5505]

The reason that the one side has "No" green glass but rather the blue pannels is because that will be the wall that is blocked by the midrise.
thank god

[EastBayHardCore]

Ahh, thx for that info rocketman. I was wondering wtf was up with that :)

[kenratboy]

Hey guys, I have been registered here for a while, but have not posted in...years!?

Anyway, I live in Reno, Nevada and the stuff happening in Reno, Sacramento, and San Francisco is just amazing. 5 years ago, or less, there was just nothing - all of a sudden, there are around a dozen very interesting projects happening in the region.

I had been getting frusterated with the total lack of development, but with Rincon in SF, Captiol Towers in Sacramento, and the massive projects on the table (some under way) in Reno, it is a great time for skyscrapers in this area.

[AK47KC]

Webcor picture update.
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear3august20061156876444.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear2august20061156876431.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear4august20061156876486.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear1august20061156876401.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear5august20061156876503.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spear6august20061156876514.jpg

[kenratboy]

AK47 - wonderful update, thank you very much!

My feeling is once the foundation is poured, and the first few floors are built, it is 'done' for all intensive purposes, as once they start building, it all happens so fast (seems the site prep, foundation, etc. takes a painfully long time).

[pseudolus]

The third crane is up now.

[kenratboy]

Hey EastBayHardCore:

1.) Are you REALLY hard core?
2.) You from San Leandro?

[AK47KC]

Still in HK, but....

Overhead view of the site by Webcor, probably sometime around June-July.
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/bymarkdefeo1156981386.jpg

[kenratboy]

My god, that building will have more sq. ft. UNDERGROUND than above street level!

That is a good thing, the building should have ample parking (despite what the anti-car crowd says, it is totally reasonable for every unit to have 1 or more parking spaces - and it alleviates parking elsewhere in the city)

[EastBayHardCore]

:rolleyes:

[kenratboy]

EastBay - was that directed at me?

[rocketman_95046]

Webcor update for Sept.
September 2006

September has proved to be a monumental month for the project with a 7000 yard concrete mat slab pour and completion of the deck through the 20th floor on the first of two towers. We have also made substantial progress on the curtain wall through the 9th floor.

In the main tower, stud framing is catching its stride on the first several floors as all the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler trades race out in front.

The third and final tower crane has been erected and now services the west side of the site where our second mid-rise will begin, following the eminent completion of the shotcrete wall.

http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spearseptember2005a1159376186.jpghttp://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spearseptember2005b1159376199.jpg
http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spearseptember2005c1159376208.jpghttp://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/300spearseptember2005e1159376226.jpg

[kenratboy]

Oh wow, that last picture looking thru the rebar towards the Bay Bridge is awesome - that would be such a cool view.

[northbay]

^^ that view IS cool. i can only imagine the view another 20 stories up!