A new porte cochère design has been proposed for the underside of the new balcony of the Hilton at 750 Kearny Street in San Francisco. The balcony and porte cochere replace the previously demolished bridge over Kearny Street to Portsmouth Square. At this time, only the entryway area and the balconies above are proposed for renovation, with no new modifications to the larger hotel building itself.
The necessity for the renovations came after the removal of the Kearny Street Bridge during the $66 million Portsmouth Square improvement project by the SF Recreation and Parks Department. The bridge was originally designed to increase accessibility for the second and third floor Chinese Cultural Center. However, it was little used and often considered an eyesore by the community.
Specifications for the new construction include a first-floor metal and glass screen wall at the sidewalk, new lighting, and exterior entry stairs to the hotel lobby. The second and third floors will both include new balconies, with the existing overhead steel signage structure to remain.
The Hilton San Francisco Financial District, formerly a Holiday Inn, was constructed in 1971 with a design by Chinese American Clement Chen in collaboration with John Carl Warnecke & Associates. The 27-story building stands 298 feet tall, producing a bold example of Brutalist-style architecture in a city dominated by International Style modernism.
Hilton San Francisco Financial District View Across the Old Bridge, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
The site is located on the border of Chinatown and the Financial District in San Francisco. This places it in an ideal location for both business and pleasure visitors to the city. Furthermore, its history and proximity to the heart of San Francisco’s Chinese community give this project particular cultural significance. Although the bridge no longer directly connects the hotel through pedestrian access, it is still very important for the neighborhood and the city.
750 Kearny Street Site Location, image via ArcGIS Online
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I’m not an architect so can’t speak from authority, but it seems like the iconic stature of the hotel itself would be far better served by removing the entire decking above the entry and spending more energy on creating a contextually-scaled porte cochère along with abundant landscaping to sculpt the unfortunate series of stairs, rails, ramps, and curb cuts into something more… nice.
Great news. Parks and Rec is one of the better departments in SF. Some really remarkable progress has been made in the last 10-15 years. Brand new parks have been added at an impressive pace, and existing ones have been refurbished nicely, such as Dolores and Mariposa.
I would really like to see more done with Mission Creek. Demolish the freeway, maximize the park space, add some sand, and make the western portion of Mission Creek a beach! It would be a great destination, esp given the warm weather and calm, protected water.
The article states “The balcony and porte cochere replace the previously demolished bridge”. The bridge is not “previously demolished” as I was there last night and it is surely still standing.
If the bridge is indeed “considered an eyesore by the community” judging solely by the one rendering provided, IMO this design is arguably no better an eyesore than the bridge…with the bride at least acting as a gateway of sorts between Chinatown and North Beach.