The City of San Francisco is on a path to intentionally destroy a designated city landmark. This has never happened before. San Francisco Heritage is doing everything in its power to make sure it doesn’t. (Read more from the San Francisco Examiner.)
Landmarks are not just about architectural details or personal tastes. From the Japantown YWCA to Castro Camera, from the Ingleside Presbyterian Church to the Royal Baking Company, each tells the world and future generations who lived and worked and worshiped here. They are the physical chapters of the full San Francisco story.
The former Jones-Thierbach Coffee Company Building at 447 Battery Street, City Landmark no. 299, is imperiled by a development agreement in process between the city and Related California.
Supervisor Danny Sauter thinks 447 Battery Street is “not the most special building in the world.” He is entitled to his opinion.
But there are only 320 individual city landmarks out of 212,000 city parcels.
Allowing the intentional destruction of one landmark opens the door. It increases the likelihood of losing a place Supervisor Sauter does care about, that you care about. If not with city landmarks, where do we draw the line to protect our special places?
We all want San Francisco to thrive and to grow, but we need to make sure that what makes this city beautiful and interesting and unique is here for the next generation.
Thanks to all of you who have written in asking how you can help.
It is likely the decision will come to the Board of Supervisors in September after their recess. Please send an email to the mayor and your supervisor telling them that you don’t want this to happen. Tell them preserving special places is important to you.
Woody LaBounty
President & CEO
San Francisco Heritage
Mayor Daniel Lurie
daniel.lurie@sfgov.org
District 1: Connie Chan
chanstaff@sfgov.org
District 2: Stephen Sherrill
SherrillStaff@sfgov.org
District 3: Danny Sauter
SauterStaff@sfgov.org
District 4: Joel Engardio
EngardioStaff@sfgov.org
District 5: Bilal Mahmood
MahmoodStaff@sfgov.org
District 6: Matt Dorsey
DorseyStaff@sfgov.org
District 7: Myrna Melgar
melgarstaff@sfgov.org
District 8: Raphael Mandelman
mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org
District 9: Jackie Fielder
FielderStaff@sfgov.org
District 10: Shamann Walton
waltonstaff@sfgov.org
District 11: Chyanne Chen
ChenStaff@sfgov.org
Sample letter template (please personalize as needed):
Dear Mayor Lurie and Supervisor [insert your Supervisor here],
In the 530 Sansome project agreement that will come before you soon, a city landmark—447 Battery Street, the former Jones Thierbach Coffee Company warehouse—is proposed to be demolished. This is an unprecedented step, and will open the door to losing other special places that San Franciscans care about. I urge you not to do this and ask that you respect and protect our city’s shared past and its special places.
Sincerely,
[your name]
