SAN FRANCISCO | One Hawthorne (645 Howard) | 240 FT / 73 M | 24 FLOORS

[POLA]

Ouch, they've gotta keep that brick building!

[BTinSF]

^^^I recall that in the late dot-com days around 1999, there definitely were plans to put an office building on that corner where the small parking lot is and I'd bet they included the little gray building with "Chatz Coffee" you pictured ("215").

[SFView]

It appears that TJPA is negotiating to purchase 201, 215 and 217 Second Street. FourOneFive may be right about the tunnel alignment issues there.

From: http://sfgov.org/site/frame.asp?u=ht...sbaycenter.org excerpt from TJPA Meeting Agenda January 17, 2008:

3. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board of Directors will meet in closed session to discuss real property negotiations in the following matters:

CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS

(3.1) Property: 200 Folsom Street

TJPA Negotiators: Maria Ayerdi, Executive Director, and Andrew W. Schwartz, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, outside counsel

Negotiating parties: TJPA and Korich et al.

Under negotiation: Price and terms of payment for TJPA’s purchase of 200 Folsom Street


(3.2) Property: 201, 215 and 217 Second Street

TJPA Negotiators: Maria Ayerdi, Executive Director, and Andrew W. Schwartz, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, outside counsel

Negotiating parties: TJPA and Rob Birmingham

Under negotiation: Price and terms of payment for TJPA’s purchase of 201, 215 and 217 Second Street


(3.3) Property: Portion of Caltrans Parcel T bounded by the Transbay Terminal, Fremont, Mission, and First Streets

TJPA Negotiators: Maria Ayerdi, Executive Director; Charles Sullivan, Deputy City Attorney; and Andrew W. Schwartz, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, outside counsel

Negotiating parties: TJPA and Hines

Under negotiation: Terms of the Exclusive Negotiating Agreement between the TJPA and Hines and the price and terms of Hines’ purchase of the Property from the TJPA


(3.4) Property: 272 Main Street

TJPA Negotiators: Maria Ayerdi, Executive Director, and Andrew W. Schwartz, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, outside counsel

Negotiating parties: TJPA, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and Michael and Kathryn Abbassi

Under negotiation: Price and terms of payment for TJPA’s purchase of 272 Main Street

[peanut gallery]

Can I infer that they want to buy that block so they can better control tunneling under it, versus buying it to clear and redevelop for more terminal/tunneling funding?

I'm intrigued by 200 Folsom and 272 Main. I never noticed that combined parcel in the Transbay Redevelopment plan, but I just checked and it is indeed there (it's mostly obscured by Infinity in the illustration). If I'm reading the plan correctly, it is zoned for residential.

[peanut gallery]

All the action is on the backside.

This is the south facing side of the building. The corner they have started demolishing is exactly opposite the corner of Howard and Hawthorne (ie: the corner you are looking at in the "before" pictures on page 1):


A close up of that corner:


A close up of the lower hole:

[peanut gallery]

There's a rig outfitted with your basic wrecking ball onsite today. This process could get a whole lot more interesting very soon.

[WonderlandPark]

Boring structure yet priced at nearly $1000/sf. That matches the Trump Tower in Chicago. Lord.

[Downtown Dave]

The forecast isn't looking good:



The workers' lunch break appears to coincide with my own, so no action. Won't take long for this one to disappear:

[BTinSF]

That's a cool-looking penthouse structure on that newish condo across the street:


A Downtown Dave photo exclusive

Is it a swimming pool enclosure or something??

[SFView]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

...Is it a swimming pool enclosure or something??

I don't think so.

[Downtown Dave]

Using a giant spiked girder to eviscerate the building:





Good phone number:

[northbay]

^ is the back wall of the building still standing?

looks dangerous

[Downtown Dave]

Yes, presumably to protect the building next door.

[Downtown Dave]

[peanut gallery]

Dave, have you seen them actually using the wrecking ball? I saw it parked behind the building and then it was in the street in one of your shots, but I haven't seen it in use. I didn't get over that way today. Is it gone?

[Downtown Dave]

I didn't see it at all today. They had it parked in the middle of the street this weekend, but I didn't see them do anything with it.

[peanut gallery]

It's there today, but again unused. One thing that strikes me as odd is that they are tearing the building apart before removing all the glass. I thought they'd take all those panels out first, but they seem to just be taking them down with the walls.

[peanut gallery]

It's funny. From directly across Howard, you can't tell anything is going on (I'd include a photo, but my battery died). But from the back:


Someone explained the real meaning of the "leased" signs elsewhere, but they still make me laugh. I sure hope they got a good price:

[Downtown Dave]

Yeah those signs are funny. At least the office space doesn't lack for light and ventilation.

[peanut gallery]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

It's funny. From directly across Howard, you can't tell anything is going on.

Not anymore. Here we see the entire top floor is gone and half the next two:


This is the strangest project. I've walked by this jobsite at least a dozen times and I've only seen one guy actually demo-ing anything (the guy on the lift earlier in this thread). But everytime I walk buy another huge chunk of building is gone. You would think they were working at night: