What's Happening With the Grant Building On Market?

The Grant Building at 7th & Market [Photo Credit: SF Planning]

A curious reader asks:

What is going on with the Grant Building on the corner of 7th St & Market? I recall that a small-time Australian group had plans to convert the building into a hostel with ground floor eating and a nightclub/rooftop bar. I think the group went to Planning Commission for some approvals... maybe a conditional use permit? I'm pretty sure Planning Commission approved this, too.

However, this was more than a year ago, and I haven't heard any news about this project. Do you guys know anything? We did some digging, and it looks like the project is slowly trudging along. Our reader had it correct - the application to convert the building from office use to a 42,000 sqft, 94-room hostel/hotel with a restaurant and nightclub was approved by the Planning Commission back in October 2010. Designed by Bay Area starchitect Newton Tharp in 1905, the building is also on the California and National Registers. However, the proposed project didn't make any major changes to the exterior of the building, so it sailed through the Historic Preservation Commission.

There wasn't much activity for a while, but then in September 2011 the project went back before the HPC when the architects added two new sets of egress stairs on the exterior. Once again, it was approved no problem. But that's the latest activity, and unfortunately no building permits have been filed as of yet. Who knows when construction will actually start. The 1095 Market website is woefully unhelpful. We'll let you know if we hear of any developments.
· Grant Building Hotel Project Is Actually More a Hostel Project [Curbed SF]
· Grant Building Slated for Hotel With Club, Resto, and Rooftop Bar [Curbed SF]
· 1095 Market Street Holding LLC [1095 Market]