As a plugged-in reader reports, the fight to save the Bluepeter building at 555 Illinois is over and the wrecking balls and heavy machinery have won.
While neighbors had wanted the building to be repurposed as a community center, the land on which the Bluepeter Building sits will become part of Bayfront Park, part of the Blue Greenway and Regional Baytrail open space initiative, stretching over seven acres along the waterfront from Agua Vista Park to Mission Bay.
∙ Not A Typical NIMBY Fight To Preserve The Bluepeter In Mission Bay [SocketSite]
∙ San Francisco’s Great Blue Greenway Vision And Interconnected Plans [SocketSite]
+1 for more open spaces.
But that rendering is… not very inviting.
Pull up a chair in a dirt field? Or is that hardwood they’re going to put in. Either way seems sort of strange.
-1 for loss of unique-ness
I’ve been by that building a million times. It was nothing worth saving. The buildings just to the south in dogpatch are far more interesting…potrero police station, the Building #113 Machine Shop, etc.
Having an amateur interest in utilitarian buildings I also don’t really see much of interest here. Military bases seem to have a lot of buildings like this. They’re not rare but maybe there’s a case for preserving one example in SF proper.
Pier 70 nearby contains some unique structures that should be preserved though.
Now, cut down those giant, invasive weeds – uhh, eucalyptus trees – behind it, please.
I have a serious question and am not trying to be rude, but… who hangs out in community centers? I couldn’t tell you where a “community center” is in San Francisco nor have I ever seen or been to one. Are they basically homeless shelters?
Chris, I’m assuming for community center you could substitute recreation center run by the Rec and Parks Dept – which often have multi-purpose facilities for activities for youth, elders, etc. (This is only my assumption..and clearly Rec and Park never signed on to managing yet another center). But I’m sure the advocates did not have a homeless shelter in mind.
Community centers are used in many different ways depending on the needs of the community. Just as community pools can be larger and more efficient than a large number of smaller private pools, shared facilities can efficiently enable community activities. One of the more important uses is as a gathering spot for local government and community groups, especially brown act local advisory councils and of course planning and permit review meetings.