Crossed Wires
Renovating a derelict building into high-end condos and retail was a real challenge, says Fritz Muegenburg, then-project manager for Huntsman Architectural Group, the San Francisco-based firm that designed the project.
“The city hadn’t experienced a project like this, so [the plan] never went to the residential group for review,” Muegenburg explains. “Instead, it went to major projects. The people reviewing it weren’t familiar with residential—and that added some time.”
And some additional expectations. “The city made us comply with everything as if it were a new building—it was basically a full code upgrade,” says construction manager Don Davella of San Francisco’s Plant Construction Co.
The change of use also eliminated the opportunity for historic tax credits, forcing Maefield to self-fund the $24 million project. Fremont Capital provided the construction loan.
There were other obstacles as well. “At every turn, the building revealed something to us that we hadn’t anticipated,” Muegenburg recalls. For instance, cruciform shear walls—part of a previous seismic retrofit—dictated the design and placement of the main corridors on each floor. It was cheaper to let the structure drive the design than develop an alternative seismic upgrade to open up the floor plan.
But accommodating the shear walls did create some interesting niches and crannies, which were then incorporated into the architectural design of each unit.
Another challenge: “There were no straight shots for plumbing,” Davella notes. That meant the condos couldn’t be stacked, forcing the team to revise plans and reduce the original 50-unit project to 39.
The changes added seven weeks to the timeline, stretching construction to a full year and forcing the builders to schedule two shifts for the last few weeks to accommodate scheduled move-ins. The entire project from concept to completion took two and a half years.
Unique Units
Meeting the design challenges had an upside: Every unit is unique. No two are sized or designed exactly the same, right down to the millwork, which had to be custom-made for each unit. Finishes were chosen for maximum buyer appeal: sand-blasted original brick walls, granite countertops, African glass mosaic surrounds, mahogany cabinets, hardwood floors, and designer kitchens.
That helped make up for the fact that the building has no parking. The basement’s layout and building infrastructure couldn’t accommodate underground parking, and there was no space on the property.
“That was the loss of a huge amenity in a city where parking is a pain,” Muegenburg notes. “The boosted amenities in the building helped offset that loss.” So did Maefield’s securing spaces in a nearby parking deck.
The lack of parking required a variance from the city, which was eager to make allowances to get the building back in use. A similar variance was made for open-space since the building almost completely filled the property.
Despite the lack of parking, sales were brisk. The 470-square-foot studios sold in the mid-$300,000 range, while the 1,200-square-foot penthouse lofts sold for $1 million. It is currently fully occupied. The retail space, however, was still unleased in April.
Maefield’s final return on the investment does remain to be seen. “Condo sales covered the cost of the project, Pruitt says. “But our profit is tied up in the retail space.”
–Margot Carmichael Lester is a free-lance writer in Carrboro, N.C.
