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Constructed in 1906 and empty since Ginsberg’s Dublin Pub vacated a few years ago, the owners of the one-story building on the northwest corner of Bay and Mason are working on plans to raze the building and build a boutique hotel on the site.

The proposed four-story hotel has been designed with 15 rooms with two roof decks for guests. No parking would be provided on-site. And with a bit of retail space on the ground floor, the new building would rise a total of 40 feet in height.

Having been constructed over 50 years ago, a Historic Resource Evaluation will need to be prepared for the existing building at 400 Bay before it may be razed. And of course, there’s always a chance a neighbor or two might Howl.

15 thoughts on “Razing Ginsberg’s To Build A Non-Beat Hotel”
  1. I’m glad to hear that this site is being developed.
    Note to future guests: if weather proves uncooperative to hang out on the roof deck, Secrets bookstore is just a hop, skip and jump away.

  2. Is this outside the THD zone of malevolence? This is exactly the kind of thing they have tried to block in the past.
    Anybody got drawings of the new building? It could be a nice addition to the neighborhood if done right.

  3. Why would no parking for this hotel be “great news?” Not exactly a location with easy access to out of towners without a car. But the shopping center across the street has a ton of roof parking – not sure if overnight is an option though.

  4. 1. Who needs parking in this location! I lived around the corner for years. F-line streetcar, buses galore, all within 1-2 blocks. Heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. The nearby Hilton (or Sheraton? Can’t remember they seem so similar) used to rent out parking in its garage because – guess what – so many guests did not arrive by car. We rented an extra space there. It probably still does, but I moved out of the neighborhood in 2007 so can’t say for sure.
    2. This would be some freaking historic resource. It’s an old metal industrial building that was converted to a funky bar. I don’t think SF Heritage will have a problem when this goes bye-bye.

  5. @DaneSF: it’s great news because it’s a boutique hotel with few rooms and the building itself doesn’t warrant another cutout on the street for underground access. I’m sure management will have something arranged for parking nearby for those who choose to show up with a car. Many boutique hotels in the city operate like this.
    As for transit options, the F-line and 30-Stockton are really all you got, neither of which is particularly fast, or reliable, in the case of the F-line. Cable car for those who want to shell out even more money the SF “experience.” Then again, this hotel is geared to tourists and all three of these options cover the major destinations.

  6. Ginsberg’s vacated “a few years ago”?? Seems more like 15-20. My friends and I used to joke it was the only Jewish-Irish pub in SF.
    Glad to see something is going to be done with this site.

  7. Used to hang there in the 70’s. Leonard & Vic the Ginsberg owner/bartenders were the best fun and Sinova’s lunches were great, She also made a terrific fresh salsa. In addition to being our after work drinking hole, it was a terrific place to spend a Sunday afternoon listening to live music.

  8. I think we should keep the building there and convert it into a micro craft brewery and pub / restaurant. Play off of the historic qualities of the building for the theme of the restaurant brewpub. It could be called Mason Bay Brewing Company. To me this is a no-brainer, and would be plenty successful with the current growing national interest in craft brewing, especially in California. This way, if there is any need to do a historical value assessment to find out whether this fancy hotel can be built, this cost can be avoided since the original structure could be retained for the brewpub operation. Anyways, there are plenty of hotels in that location already, and that location is not a great one for a special boutique hotel since the only things it is close to is fisherman’s wharf, Trader Joe’s, and Safeway.

    1. Me too! I had one, but a former girlfriend got chocolate on it, couldn’t get it out, then threw it away–all without telling me. I spent a lot of time looking for it, as I thought I’d lost it. LOL.

  9. Finally something for ‘plugged in’ readers to be surprised by: it’s now a vacant lot (or maybe a vacant hole, with a fence around it…hard to tell). Then again maybe they shouldn’t be surprised: demolition too often being the whole play rather than just the first act; which goes a long way toward explaining why proposals aren’t always greeted with coos of approval…rendering euphoria notwithstanding.

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