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One Rincon Hill is a residential complex that is currently under construction on the apex of Rincon Hill in San Francisco. The complex, designed by the Chicago architectural firm Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates, includes townhouses and two highrise condo towers, with the north tower being 45 stories and 541 ft. (165 m), and the south tower being 55 stories tall (possibly 63 see here) and 641 ft. (195 m). Adding on the height of Rincon Hill, at about 100 ft. (30 m), the total height of the tower is 741 ft. (226 m) above sea level, offering spectacular views. In addition to the views, there will be many luxurious offerings included in the complex like a swimming pool. Upon completion and due to its height, this will be the most significant addition to the San Francisco skyline in over 30 years and the tallest all-residential tower in California.
Location and history
The 1.3 acre site that the complex is located is bounded by Harrison Street to the west, the Fremont Street offramp (currently closed due to retrofit) to the north, the western approach to the Bay Bridge (I-80) on the east, and the First Street onramp to the south. A clock tower, owned by UNION 76 and then Bank Of America was originally on the site. However, this was an ineffective use of the land, and so in 2002 Urban West Associates bought the land and later proposed the first version of the complex on the same site. The original version of the complex was a 28 story and a 33 story tower named 475 First, with little space in between the towers. It also had only 506 apartments (see here for more). The city, after the initial proposal, raised height limits in the surrounding area and urged Urban West Associates to build to the maximum zoning - 45 stories and 55 stories and put more space in between the towers. When the second and final version project was approved by the city, the fate of the Clock Tower was sealed. Before construction of One Rincon Hill, the clock tower was razed to make way for the construction of the towers.
Construction and condos
Construction started on the first phase of the project a little over three months after the project was approved by the city in August, 2005. The ceremonial groundbreaking of the project was attended by many of the top officials of San Francisco, including Gavin Newsom. However, according to sfgate.com and emporis.com, the project was stalled until January, 2006. The first phase will build the townhomes and the taller south tower (368 condo units) that will be completed in 2007. The remaining north tower (327 condo units) will then be constructed and be completed in 2009. The total cost of the project is $290 million.
Currently, the foundation work for the tower is continuing and the first section of rebar for the south tower has appeared. There is a tower crane poking up from the site as well, a sure sign for motorists that change is happening. This is the second-tallest tower currently under construction in San Francisco.
The entire project will provide 695 condos and 14 townhomes and help remedy San Francisco's continued housing crunch and its problems. The towers themselves will most likely house upper-middle to high class residents, with no affordable housing (it will go somewhere offsite). The units vary greatly in price from Dollar|$" target="_blank" >*500,000 to $2,000,000, depending on view and the size of the unit (600 to 2,000 sq ft. or 56 to 186 sq. m). The project has recently opened up a sales office on June 16, 2006 and even before the opening, 130 of the 368 units were already spoken for in a frenzy. Before the week ended, many of the units had been spoken for in a storm of potential buyers (see this), hinting of the housing demand in the area.
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