Archive for the ‘Western Addition’ Category
Construction Progress: 9-10-2007
This is the first in a new series of posts that will depict the construction progress of new projects in the Bay Area. In general, I’ll stick to high-rise or major mid-rise developments, as well as more unique projects — for example, museums, theaters, or otherwise notable cultural buildings. Why would I ever want to do such a thing? Well, for one, I know for certain that I’m not the only person excited by the evolution and intensification of the Bay Area skyline and streetscape. More fundamentally, though, I simply love to see empty, abandoned, blighted lots (or parcels of land that are poorly utilized as surface level parking) given new life in the form of a building, thus adding density, energy and vibrancy to the neighborhood. Keeping track of these construction projects is simply another way to enjoy and anticipate the revitalization of the urban spaces of which these new buildings will be an integral part.
Most of this first post will be devoted to recently completed or largely complete projects, at least on the exterior. Later this week or early next week, I plan to write another post in this series, with photos of projects that are still not anywhere near completion, but which I’ll of course follow more later as they go up. The Construction Progress posts will most likely not follow any sort of regular schedule. Rather, they will appear a bit more irregularly, whenever I remember a couple projects that really ought to be documented.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, I personally snapped all the photos that appear in this post (or indeed, anywhere in this blog). Just a reminder: full-sized photos are hosted on my Flickr account. To see any of these pictures in full detail, just click through, and the link will take you to the relevant Flickr page. I will probably also include additional photos on Flickr that are not explicitly included in the blog post. My photography skills are amateur (at best), so the purpose of these photos is not to indulge in any advanced photographic experiments, but simply to document the rising of these new developments.
The only project in this particular post located comfortably outside of downtown is the Fillmore Heritage tower:
Located in the Western Addition at the corner of Fillmore and Eddy Streets (not far from but still definitely not located on the highly gentrified Pacific Heights stretch of Fillmore Street), this 13-story tower is part of a continuing experiment of putting market rate housing in rough-and-tumble neighborhoods known better for housing projects and gang turf wars. Notably, this tower contains in its ground floor a new branch of Yoshi’s Jazz Club. The word “heritage” in the name of the building is a nod to the Fillmore District’s history as a centerpiece of the Bay Area jazz scene in the years before redevelopment projects wrecked the Western Addition. Still, there is something fiercely ironic about this new jazz club making its home in a condo tower.
