South Beach live/work asks $1.99 million, ballerina not included

Back in 2016, when an enterprising realtor in the Tenderloin employed a (presumably faux) human skeleton as part of the dressing for a place in the classic Hamilton building, Curbed SF remarked “real estate agents will try anything to set their listing apart.”

The same principle seems to be at work in the case of 650 Second Street #404 in South Beach, a rugged live/work conversion circa 1995, which for some reason features a posing ballerina in the most prominent of its sales photos.

Actually there is potentially some artistic merit to this inclusion, as the gracefulness of the pose contrasts some of the rougher elements of the former industrial space, which still looks very much like its mid-90s roots instead of the smoother look of contemporary spaces in similar buildings.

Courtesy Meredith Martin

“Behind an unassuming facade you enter into a historic building, home to 25 New York style live/work spaces,” realtor Meredith Martin writes—always something of a gamble to refer to anything in San Francisco as “New York-style,” incidentally.

“The reinvented open concept floor plan harmoniously balances modern minimalism with industrial character,” Martin promises, “featuring floor to ceiling windows, exposed concrete,” and the signature “gliding Adielle doors.”

Notice also the hideaway bed—historically the mark of small, cheaper homes that had to conserve space, but here apparently just an intentional creative touch. The place is one bed, two full baths, and just under 1,800 square feet, so nobody’s running out of room here.

The asking price is $1.99 million, almost double the $1.05 million this place previously sold for in 2013.