Perhaps to be taken with a grain of salt (or not!), but a reader writes in with word of a freakout down at 50 U.N. Plaza, where the dormant Federal Building has been getting some work done to bring it back to life. The feds had previously deserted it in favor of Thom Mayne's cutting-edge fortress on 7th and Mission, but as was previously reported, 50 U.N. Plaza received $121 million in stimulus cash to get seismically retrofitted and turned again into a contributing member of society. After a weird flap where Brit firm Foster + Partners was hired to do work meant to stimulate the American economy, the General Services Administration about-faced and hired instead HKS and local firm Architectural Resources Group. Now, as our informant says: "Just these past two weeks the GSA freaked out about the budget going over (based on programming and project particulars they ASKED FOR) and just got HKS to fire everyone under them and start from scratch. How's that for the use of stimulus funds?" Italics added by Curbed for sassiness.
· Foreigners Disinvited from UN Plaza [Curbed SF]
· Fingers Crossed: Fed Building Shall Revitalize U.N. Plaza [Curbed SF]
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