Chinatown



Portsmouth Square aerial overview, design by SWA and MEI

Portsmouth Square Improvement Under Review Today, Chinatown, San Francisco

San Francisco’s Design Review Committee is scheduled to consider approval for the design development of the Portsmouth Square improvement project today at 2 PM. The project, led by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, proposes redesigning and expanding the public amenities of the ‘living room’ of Chinatown. The project includes replacing the existing pedestrian bridge over Kearny Street with a new community building, modernizing the playground, expanding shaded seating along the central plaza, and more.

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650 California Street viewed from Portsmouth Square, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Number 40: 650 California Street, Financial District, San Francisco

The 40th tallest skyscraper in the Bay Area planned or built is the Hartford Building at 650 California Street. The office building is in San Francisco’s Financial District and Chinatown, rising 466 feet above the street. The modernist tower was among the first in a wave that establishes San Francisco’s urban core as we know it today. It faced fierce opposition from many locals, leading then-mayor George Christopher to tell the SF Chronicle in 1962, “Our city is getting a reputation among investors of perhaps encouraging too much opposition. They feel they have to satisfy not only legalities but the artistic whims of the community.” The Hartford Building became the tallest building in San Francisco when Hartford Insurance completed it in 1964.

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