1450 Franklin
Designed by Frederick Meyer and most recently home to Cars Dawydiak, in 2008 the proposed demolition of the two-story building at 1450 Franklin Street survived an appeal for preservation and the construction of a 13-story mixed-use building with 69 condominiums over parking and ground floor commercial space on the site was approved. And then the market tanked.
1450%20Franklin%20Rendering%202013.jpg
With the demolition and building permits for the project having been reinstated, it’s a plugged-in reader that notes the site has been cordoned off, the site is being prepared for demolition, and the delayed development at 1450 Franklin Street is underway.
1450 Franklin: The Proposal And “Historic” Preservationist Challenge [SocketSite]

18 thoughts on “Take Two For 1450 Franklin: 13 Stories And 69 Condos On The Way”
  1. Love the two-story existing building (for a change), but it shouldn’t be preserved. Wonder if there’s any possible way for the proposed building to be any duller tho. The Van Ness corridor excels at visual boredom in part caused by the 10-13 story sameness happening all over. Too blocky & tedious.

  2. Personally I love the idea of the Van Ness corridor becoming a mid rise district. Mid-rise can bring some significant density, and while I think highrises are great in the downtown core, they can be a bit much outside of it, not that I’d oppose a few high rise buildings in the area as well.
    I’m excited to see this place coming.

  3. Good stuff. Hoping we’ll get a local scooter company to take over the ground floor of the new place though. I don’t like having to buy my scooters at chains like Vespa.

  4. I love seeing these new projects on the Van Ness/Franklin corridors. It’s a prime area for redevelopment. There are entire blocks of Van Ness that are so underused it’s tragic. Sure it’s a busy thoroughfare, but it’s not that bad. Build more and build taller….

  5. Agree Denis. I do like the existing building and hate to see it go but not at the expense of developing this area. LPH will benefit greatly from this area as well as the spot on Bush/Divis. Fix Japantown and cleanup the shops on VanNess and your a decade away from a whole different area. I wish they would add a few 3 bedroom penthouses to these new developments. This is an area where I believe you could get top dollar if done really high end.

  6. I actually like that building. Couldn’t they have kept the facade for the bottom two floors then built up from there? I’ve seen modern on top of old a lot and like it when done correctly.

  7. While the rendering does look a little dull to me (although it’s not particularly detailed), we do not necessarily need architecturally significant mid-rise buildings the way we do high rises that leave a more permanent and visible mark on the city’s skyline. This is a perfect place for density, let’s go!

  8. Just to clarify my above comment, I meant I am fine with a slightly less interesting building as proposed above, whereas I would be more choosy with the high rises. I support this development absolutely. I think 13 stories is a perfect height for this area, there are already a couple 17/18 story buildings on Franklin further down, so this will fit in well with the general stretch of the street.

  9. My dentist is/was right around the corner.
    Walking extremely slowly, slowly, slowly past the windows of Cars Dawydiak made visits to the dentist much more acceptable.
    Of course the dentist is leaving too – her office is now inside the California-Pacific constrcution site.

  10. Sorry to see this one go. Some nice detailing on the facade. I don’t think it’s distinctive enough to warrant preservation.

  11. It’s a bummer to see Cars Dawydiak move. I drive by there daily, and it’s the ONE light on Franklin that I’m happy to get stuck at – there was nothing like gazing at those beautiful classic cars to make up for a crappy commute.
    As for what’s replacing it, well, yeah, looks boring. Would have been nice to keep the facade at least. Not like it was a work of art of anything, but c’mon, all these new buildings have designs that suck – they’re all just cookie cutter crap by architects with no imagination.
    Oh well. Life goes on.

  12. If the existing building was 2-3 stories taller, it would have been great for a loft conversion. Love those big windows on the 2nd story.
    I totally agree that mid rise development is great for this area.

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