Apple rumored to fill iconic Castro Street building in San Francisco
An historic landmark building at the epicenter of San Francisco's gay district is rumored to become the city's fourth Apple Store.
Citing "plugged in tipsters," real estate blog SocketSite noted today that Apple is rumored to have set its sights on the property, which originally served as a Bank of America.
Image: SocketSite
The building has most recently served as a Diesel apparel store, which unexpectely closed this month after the building's landlord reportedly demanded a 50 percent rent increase.
The side of the building was remodeled to partition off a separate space originally housing a Noah's Bagels and subsequently used by a Sprint store. Since its closing, the space has remained vacant for years. The two empty spaces could be rejoined into a larger, single space, with dramatic high ceilings.
During the filming of "Milk," a 2008 movie staring Sean Penn as the gay rights activist, the "BoA" building and other landmarks of the neighborhood were stripped of any modern signage to serve as the set for the 1970's era production.
The building sits next to "Harvey Milk Plaza," a memorial that serves as the entrance to a subway station on the corner, and underneath an oversized rainbow flag. Diesel also recently outfitted the building with an animated series of LED lights that illuminate to give it a rainbow appearance at night.
San Francisco already has plans in place to spend $3 million redeveloping the building's neighborhood with widened sidewalks, more pedestrian friendly crosswalks and new amenities including bike racks and green space "parklets."
Image: SF Curbed
There are also several large new housing and retail projects currently planned or under construction in the immediate area, making it an enticing location for an expansion of Apple's retail stores in the closest major city to the company's headquarters in Cupertino.
At the same time, it should be noted that developers frequently suggest the potential of an Apple store when planning new projects. One building under construction just two blocks away portrayed an Apple logo on the early renderings of its housing on retail complex. The final tenant for the space turned out to be a bank instead.
Apple did not comment on the location, but has historically worked to keep its retail expansion plans secret. The company recently outlined plans to invest $1 billion into retail store expansion and upgrades in fiscal 2013.
Citing "plugged in tipsters," real estate blog SocketSite noted today that Apple is rumored to have set its sights on the property, which originally served as a Bank of America.
Image: SocketSite
The building has most recently served as a Diesel apparel store, which unexpectely closed this month after the building's landlord reportedly demanded a 50 percent rent increase.
The side of the building was remodeled to partition off a separate space originally housing a Noah's Bagels and subsequently used by a Sprint store. Since its closing, the space has remained vacant for years. The two empty spaces could be rejoined into a larger, single space, with dramatic high ceilings.
On the corner of LGB&T
The Castro building's neighborhood took on a gay-friendly identity in the 1970s, one of the first areas to do so in the US. The neighborhood elected the city's first openly gay supervisor Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.During the filming of "Milk," a 2008 movie staring Sean Penn as the gay rights activist, the "BoA" building and other landmarks of the neighborhood were stripped of any modern signage to serve as the set for the 1970's era production.
The building sits next to "Harvey Milk Plaza," a memorial that serves as the entrance to a subway station on the corner, and underneath an oversized rainbow flag. Diesel also recently outfitted the building with an animated series of LED lights that illuminate to give it a rainbow appearance at night.
Transit link, transforming neighborhood
Apple has built retail stores in other locations that include improvements to adjacent transit stops, including Chicago's Lincoln Park store, which contributed $4 million toward renovating the formerly drab Red Line station underneath it. Apple's first San Francisco store also includes an entrance to the Powell Street BART station, and its Grand Central store in New York City occupies one of the world's most famous rail terminals.San Francisco already has plans in place to spend $3 million redeveloping the building's neighborhood with widened sidewalks, more pedestrian friendly crosswalks and new amenities including bike racks and green space "parklets."
Image: SF Curbed
There are also several large new housing and retail projects currently planned or under construction in the immediate area, making it an enticing location for an expansion of Apple's retail stores in the closest major city to the company's headquarters in Cupertino.
At the same time, it should be noted that developers frequently suggest the potential of an Apple store when planning new projects. One building under construction just two blocks away portrayed an Apple logo on the early renderings of its housing on retail complex. The final tenant for the space turned out to be a bank instead.
Apple did not comment on the location, but has historically worked to keep its retail expansion plans secret. The company recently outlined plans to invest $1 billion into retail store expansion and upgrades in fiscal 2013.
Comments
Since no one in the Castro can fit into Diesel Jeans, and everyone owns an Iphone, this would seem to be a good move.
Posted by: curmudgeon
Quote:
Originally Posted by boriscleto
What is Apple going to do about all the naked people walking around?
Sell them iPads.
I see this story was posted tomorrow. Interesting.
This may be the first time I've ever seen a proposal that narrows a street instead of widening it.
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem.
Do they still iPod Socks? Those may have a new use now.
If they were buying tracts of land where options are limited then that would be an issue, but when there are many options in an area the lessee*, especially one who is a draw tenant, can have considerable control. If the property is the only property the lessor owns in the area then it may not behoove them to give Apple a discount except for the fact that Apple would likely be a longtime customer with no risk of going under, but they surely wouldn't be raising the price after they found out it's Apple.
When Apple first setup shop in Malls they didn't have any pull as an anchor stores but I now I bet they plenty of control with stores nxt to and across the Apple Stores being more expensive to rent. They've come a long way from the days of people saying stores are a bad idea because it didn't work for Gateway. Remember Gateway?
Used to pass by there on my ride to work every day; can't think of any other Apple stores in similar types of settings though. It is high traffic area, but not what I think of as a big computer shopping neighborhood, and a quick Muni ride to Stonestown from right out front.
Palomino ! Palomino!
Quote:
Originally Posted by boriscleto
What is Apple going to do about all the naked people walking around?
I believe the city has already ruled against that
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaarrrgggh
Pedestrian-friendly crosswalks? What... are they going to put up gates to prevent cyclists from barreling through?
Used to pass by there on my ride to work every day; can't think of any other Apple stores in similar types of settings though. It is high traffic area, but not what I think of as a big computer shopping neighborhood, and a quick Muni ride to Stonestown from right out front.
The location is about equidistant on the Muni metro from both Stonestown mall and the downtown Union Square store. However, both stores are near capacity. And if you have a broken iMac, riding the metro 3 stops and then hauling it across a mall parking lot isn't super convenient.
Many of the Bay Area stores are similarly located in busy pedestrian "main street" areas, including SF's Chestnut location, the Berkeley and Emeryville Stores in the East Bay, Burlingame, Palo Alto, etc. Anywhere built before malls has this kind of development, particularly apparent in many of Apple's European stores and locations in Japan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
This may be the first time I've ever seen a proposal that narrows a street instead of widening it.
SF is "rightsizing" a lot of its streets to provide wider sidewalks, bus "bulbouts" that shorten crosswalk widths and other features that make cities more livable rather than just faster to drive past.
Aspring to be a great city like other dense, walkable and transit-oriented urban places built before the car, rather than trending toward suburban sprawl where you have to get it your car just to get from one big box retailer to the super store next to it, and there's nothing to see but Dryvit boxes, parking lot pavement and freeways.
Apple should concentrate on expanding / relocating the downtown store before building one in the Castro. It was big enough in 2004 (or whenever it was built) but now it's always bursting at the seams with tourists, kids, bums.... and people actually purchasing products!
I can ride to Stonestown on MUNI instead of just going two blocks down the hill to Market and Castro, nice!!! Why didn't I ever think of that?
Actually it isn't as uncommon as you might think. In fact they are way behind the times in California. Downtown redevelopments are nothing new, once example being Greenville SC where I'm currently at. It is one of those things that goes in cycles as government has an inborn need to waste the publics money. Twenty years from now they will call it stupid and rip it all up for whatever is trendy at the moment. It really is a silly waste of money, churn if you will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
This may be the first time I've ever seen a proposal that narrows a street instead of widening it.
I live two blocks from Market and Castro, this would be a great addition to the Castro. All other opinions are invalid.
Apple needs a new VP of retail management bad. Somebody with the strength to scrape the really negative parts of Apples stores.
Number one problem is there is no simple in and out path. What do I mean by this? Simple a damn cash register so that you can grab the I accessory you need, pay for it and get the hell out of the store. The buying experience sucks in an Apple store. Now if you are shopping it is a different story, but going into an Apple store knowing exactly what you want and then trying to leave with it is a big hassle.
By the way the bursting at the seams is a real problem in most Apple stores I've visited. It is a good thing I suppose unless of course you are just there to actually buy something.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arseyrob
Apple should concentrate on expanding / relocating the downtown store before building one in the Castro. It was big enough in 2004 (or whenever it was built) but now it's always bursting at the seams with tourists, kids, bums.... and people actually purchasing products!
Yeah, what a waste. Room for trees and people.
Also the Internet, the space program, your education . . .
Edit: On topic, the building would make a fantastic Apple store, and the Castro must be about 85% pro-Apple demographic. Like ILoveStuff says, all other opinions are irrelevant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Big retail push. Roll on Dublin, at the very least. Still no store planned for Dublin. Shame.
Believe it or not, while Germany has several Apple Stores, not even one is in the capital, Berlin. Apple was supposed to open one and a building has been identified but nothing has been happening for many, many months.