One Henry Adams Apartments

San Francisco, CA

Henry Adams was described as a visionary, a creative businessman, an urban renewalist and a dealmaker extraordinaire.

In the early 1970s, in purchasing several buildings south of Market Street, Adams laid the foundation for what is known today as San Francisco’s Design District. Although it’s now populated with design showrooms and myriad other businesses, before Adams came along it was an industrial wasteland. His influence on the area was significant enough that soon after he died in May 1981 at the age of 61, the city renamed a two-block stretch of Kansas Street in his honor.

The centerpiece for the site is One Henry Adams Plaza, the latest “Urban Center” addition to San Francisco’s Design District, also known as Showplace Square, offering the “triple threat” of “Live, Work, Play”. The intricate rooftop terraces were constructed using plank pavers and variations of colors providing a pleasing environment for the tenants and their guests to take in the San Francisco skyline views. The North & South Buildings surround an interlocking pedestrian paver muse filled with public art that provides a sophisticated retreat from the City. The muse was constructed with multiple patterns and colors to enhance the space and feed out into the paver walkways that lead to the onsite restaurants and amenities. The pavers were podium laid on permeable gravel to provide for a complete drain system.