The Palace is a mixed-use condo building located in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood at Columbus Avenue and Powell Street. The design-build project consisted of the demolition of an existing 56-foot vacant movie theater to construct a new five-story over basement mixed-use building containing 19 high-end residential units, a restaurant measuring approximately 4,700 square feet, and 27 off-street parking spaces. The project creates housing opportunities within a walkable, urban context in an area well-served by transit.
The new San Francisco Muni (underground subway) expansion used this site as the exit point for their tunnel digging machines, which created an approximately 40-foot deep pit on the site. To save nearly $1M in additional shoring costs and six weeks in schedule, ZFA designed a raised platform over the pit rather as opposed to using a large volume of compacted infill.
The structural system consists of special concrete shear walls in both directions and post-tensioned concrete floor slabs.
Located at the site of the former Palace Pagoda Theater, and the building is adorned with a replica of the historic blade sign and will continue to serve as a prominent visual landmark.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of WEST Builders