- Pier 70 in San Francisco is being reclaimed for commercial and public use.
- The old Union Iron Works building which once housed a Bethlehem Steel shipbuilding facility was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
- The first tenant of the new project, Restoration Hardware, has signed on for the 2017 opening.
The Dogpatch neighborhood will soon have a spiffy new, yet historically preserved, connection to San Francisco’s shipbuilding past, and its breathtaking waterfront.
New life is being breathed into the historic core of Pier 70, through a restoration project spearheaded by The Port of San Francisco and Historic Pier 70 LLC. Eight buildings, dating back to 1885 are in the construction and leasing reclamation phase. The finished seven-acre project will be open to the public in 2017.
Those buildings were once a testament to the might of the steel and shipbuilding industries– first as the West Coast headquarters for Union Ironworks and then Bethlehem Steel.
Luxury home furnishings on display at new Restoration Hardware
And what better company to carry on the spirit of rebirth than one that reflects that sentiment in its name: luxury home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware (RH). The retailer will have a prominent spot in the century-old, Classic Revival-style building.
The five-floor, nearly 60,000-square-foot location will be a new design concept and lifestyle experience, showcasing artistic abstractions and never-before-seen collections of luxury home furnishings in a gallery setting. The brand’s latest concept, RH Modern, will have a significant presence.
“Historic Pier 70 LLC’s rehabilitation of the historic core buildings at Pier 70 is the first step in the Port’s vision for reconnecting the Dogpatch neighborhood with the waterfront,” said Byron Rhett, Port Director of Planning and Development, in a statement.
“It is extremely rewarding to now see construction underway and to celebrate the signing of the first project sublease to Restoration Hardware for the iconic Bethlehem Steel Building 101. The Port looks forward to the reactivation of Building 101 and heartily welcomes Restoration Hardware to the Dogpatch waterfront.”
The National Park Service listed the area on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, San Francisco’s most recent entry on the register. Union Iron Works is the Port’s second historic district; the Embarcadero Historic District was listed on the National Register in 2006.
In addition to recognition of the historical significance of the waterfront, these historic districts provide Port development partners with access to Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits.
