SoMa condo building combines history, modern details

Construction plans for the 788 Minna St. building, a former 1920s warehouse in South of Market, were on hold until an almost-tragic event changed everything.

A cornice fell off the warehouse and almost hit a pedestrian, principal architect Jonathan Pearlman said.

The warehouse underwent multiple tests. Soil engineering firm Harold Lewis and Associates and structural engineering firm Santo and Urrutia found that the structural integrity was severely damaged, including major cracking. The building also failed a mortar soundness test.

“With a sneeze and a little shake, that building probably would have fallen down,” Pearlman said.

“This building had no foundation,” said Hart, also CEO of Rohan, Wallace & Aherne, general building contractors. “It was all cracked from the ’89 earthquake.”

But after that piece of the building broke off, the Department of Building Inspection issued an emergency order, and the building was demolished.

Within 48 hours, the developers had a clean slate. Sort of.

The developers originally had the front door on Ninth Street, which connects with Minna Street.

It didn’t take long because the exterior didn’t need to be significantly altered. Pearlman said he considers the switch from Ninth to Minna the “right decision” because Minna is a calmer street, creating more pedestrian interaction with the building.

The developers also had to tailor their designs to fit within western SoMa, which has already had numerous properties evaluated for historical characteristics.

Because of this, certain rules applied to the construction of the project. After the warehouse was demolished, the development team had meetings with the planning department, which said the building needed to fit within the aesthetics of the surrounding area.

To have this new project, 788 Minna – a five-story building made up of 20 one-bedroom, one-bath condominiums of various sizes – fit an old aesthetic, vintage and modern features were blended.

For example, black bricks cover the exterior of the building and have a modern, metal panel behind them, which acts as a support system, as the bricks are actually “quite thin,” Pearlman said.

The second level contains a wind-protected garden terrace with plants and built-in seating.

The interior contains numerous modern and high-end features: open floor plans, wide-plank oak flooring and gas-burning stone fireplaces. Custom porcelain tile has been imported from Spain, and each unit is also pre-wired for solar power.

The kitchens have Sozo Design cabinetry, CaesarStone countertops, Grohe faucets and stainless steel appliances, such as Liebherr refrigerators and Bertazzoni ranges.

Residents can use a smart phone or a custom website to remotely operate things such as lights and heating, plus they can view the building, which has a handful of cameras.

The intent is the result: a historical building with modern features.

“The cross between historic and modern, the marrying of those two,” Pearlman said, “was the principle driving force of the building.”

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