flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Move, lift, restore: Repurposing a former post office near San Francisco

Projects

Move, lift, restore: Repurposing a former post office near San Francisco

A Bay Area project integrates a historic structure into an office and retail development.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | March 3, 2022
Post Office
The new and office retail building will be moved back to its former site in 2023.

In mid-February, a construction crew began lifting a 1940s post office building located in Burlingame, Calif., on the San Francisco Peninsula. The crew moved the 1,010-ton structure about 120 feet away so that a new underground parking garage can be built directly beneath the post office’s historic site, while a new office and retail development, 220 Park Road, will be built above it.

Post Office Reconstruction
Reconstruction began on a 1940 building in February.

In 2023, after undergoing restoration, the post office will be moved back to its former site, where it will be integrated into the new office and retail building, designed by KSH Architects. It will then have a second life as a ground-floor restaurant space at the base of the 220 Park Road office and retail development.

As the preservation architect, Page & Turnbull collaborated with KSH Architects and general contractor Garden City Construction to safely move the structure. The new development is a joint venture of Sares Regis Group of Northern California and Dostart Development Company.

“This post office is part of the historic fabric of the city of Burlingame, and we are honored to help ensure the preservation and adaptation of this public treasure,” says architect Ruth Todd, principal of Page & Turnbull, and the project’s preservation leader, in a statement.

Garden City Construction is joined by construction manager Devcon Construction, structural engineer IMEG, and civil engineer BKF. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering is performed, respectively, by Silicon Valley Mechanical, Rex Moore, and KDS Plumbing.

The project broke ground in September. When it’s complete, the long-vacant, 1.3-acre lot in the center of downtown Burlingame will be home to 185,000 square feet of new office and retail space. The repurposed post office then will open onto the new adjacent Burlingame Town Square, scheduled to begin construction right after the completion of 220 Park.

Related Stories

Giants 400 | Sep 18, 2023

Top 120 Office Building Construction Firms for 2023

Turner Construction, STO Building Group, AECOM, and DPR Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest office building sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue for all office building work, including core and shell projects and workplace/interior fitouts.  

Giants 400 | Sep 18, 2023

Top 200 Office Building Architecture Firms for 2023

Gensler, Stantec, HOK, and Interior Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest office building sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue for all office building work, including core and shell projects and workplace/interior fitouts. 

Adaptive Reuse | Sep 15, 2023

Salt Lake City’s Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse will transform into a modern workplace for federal agencies

In downtown Salt Lake City, the Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse is being transformed into a modern workplace for about a dozen federal agencies. By providing offices for agencies previously housed elsewhere, the adaptive reuse project is expected to realize an annual savings for the federal government of up to $6 million in lease costs.

Office Buildings | Sep 14, 2023

New York office revamp by Kohn Pedersen Fox features new façade raising occupant comfort, reducing energy use

The modernization of a mid-century Midtown Manhattan office tower features a new façade intended to improve occupant comfort and reduce energy consumption. The building, at 666 Fifth Avenue, was originally designed by Carson & Lundin. First opened in November 1957 when it was considered cutting-edge, the original façade of the 500-foot-tall modernist skyscraper was highly inefficient by today’s energy efficiency standards.

Designers | Sep 5, 2023

Optimizing interior design for human health

Page Southerland Page demonstrates how interior design influences our mood, mental health, and physical comfort.

Office Buildings | Aug 31, 2023

About 11% of U.S. office buildings could be suitable for green office-to-residential conversions

A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper from researchers at New York University and Columbia Business School indicates that about 11% of U.S. office buildings may be suitable for conversion to green multifamily properties.

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 31, 2023

New York City creates team to accelerate office-to-residential conversions

New York City has a new Office Conversion Accelerator Team that provides a single point of contact within city government to help speed adaptive reuse projects. Projects that create 50 or more housing units from office buildings are eligible for this new program. 

Office Buildings | Aug 25, 2023

A new white paper explores the pros and cons of office building conversions  

Produced by SGA and Colliers, the paper charts considerations for 14 building types.

Government Buildings | Aug 23, 2023

White House wants to ‘aggressively’ get federal workers back to the office

The Biden administration wants to “aggressively” get federal workers back in the office by September or October. “We are returning to in-person work because it is critical to the well-being of our teams and will enable us to deliver better results for the American people,” according to an email by White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. The administration will not eliminate remote work entirely, though.

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023

Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021