Telegraph Hill residents are notorious for fighting just about anything that would change the face of San Francisco's waterfront, most notably a new luxury development at 8 Washington that was voted down last year. But finally the finicky neighbors seem to have found something that appeals to them: a plan for new development along the Embarcadero. Teatro ZinZanni, a nonprofit theater that was sent packing from its former site at Piers 27-29 to make room for the new cruise ship terminal, has proposed a new theater and hotel on the parking lot where Broadway and the Embarcadero intersect.
The theater itself would include a spiegeltent inside a gazebo with lots of red velvet and gold brocade. There would be floor-to-ceiling glass along the Embarcadero, offering passersby a view into the tent and the activity backstage. The project would get additional financial help from a mixed-use development that would be part of the package. A 175-room hotel designed by Hornberger + Worstell and a park would be in the mix. Other plans for the site have been shot down by the notoriously powerful Telegraph Hill Dwellers neighborhood association, but initial feedback from residents seems to be positive this time around.
· Previous Coverage of 8 Washington [Curbed SF]
· ZinZanni Theater Wants to Put Tent Down Near SF Waterfront [SFGate]
· Previous Coverage of Telegraph Hill Dwellers [Curbed SF]