Sophie Maxwell Affordable Housing Opens in Potrero Power Station, San Francisco

The grand opening ceremony has been held for Sophie Maxwell Building, a corten steel-clad eight-story affordable housing complex at 1212 Maryland Street in Potrero Power Station, San Francisco. Fifth Space, formerly Associate Capital, is responsible for the Potrero Power Station redevelopment. The first residents are expected to move in at the start of November.

The building is named after the former District 10 Supervisor and environmental activist, Sophenia “Sophie” Maxwell, who pushed for cleaner neighborhoods and more housing in the city. Maxwell attended the grand opening ceremony, sharing that “the community worked for decades to close the old Bayview and Potrero Power Plants. Our communities had the highest rates of asthma and cancer in the city. We knew our families deserved better, that our children deserved to be healthy and well. And we knew, collectively, we – the people and the city – could make it happen. I’m thrilled that this building will be a cornerstone of a new, healthy community. To me, the Sophie Maxwell Building represents our collective strength.”

Sophie Maxwell Building ribbon cutting event, image by Henrik Kam

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects is responsible for the design. The eight-story building includes 105 units of permanently affordable housing, deed-restricted for households earning between 50-110% of the area’s median income. The firm writes that the building takes inspiration from the industrial context, and worked closely with Foster + Partners on a plan that would complement the wildly famous architecture firm’s residential tower expected for Block 7A. The building features bold vertical corten-steel panels rising up from the exposed concrete podium.

Sophie Maxwell Building rooftop deck, image by Henrik Kam courtesy Dogpatch Power Station

The 21-acre Potrero Power Station master plan is expected to result in up to 2,600 residential units, 1.6 million square feet of commercial space, around 100,000 square feet for retail, a 250-key hotel, and seven acres of public open space. Phase One will feature the Maxwell Building alongside Blocks 7A, 8,11, 12, and Station A.

Earlier this year, crews started construction on Potrero Power Station Block 2, an eight-story cancer research center for UCSF. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the research center is expected to open in 2029. In May, the developer submitted plans for a waterfront interim park, dubbed Prequel Park, next to the retired 1962-built power plant and the site’s iconic 300-foot Stack.

Sophie Maxwell Building aerial view, image by Henrik Kam courtesy Dogpatch Power Station

Financing for the Sophie Maxwell Building was coordinated with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development, and JPMorgan Chase. Swinerton was the general contractor, and units will be managed by the John Stewart Company.

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