When the Bentley and Lamborghini dealership at Van Ness and O’Farrell moved down the block and combined forces with British Motor Car earlier this year, we were inundated with questions of what was to become of the historic building at 999 Van Ness Avenue.
As we replied to those who inquired, while the site is zoned for development up to 130 feet in height, the historic building wasn’t about to be razed and a renovation of the existing showroom was underway.
And if all goes according to plan, Tesla Motors will open their first San Francisco showroom in the space this summer. Not everyone can afford to buy a Tesla car, but they sure are fun to look at and dream about one day owning one. Most people will instead look to a used car dealership to find such cars as a nissan skyline rolling chassis as their car of choice. Although this car may not be as visually appealing as a Tesla, what’s most important is that you have a vehicle that is in working order. Unfortunately, with second-hand cars, this is not always the case. You must always do your research into the dealer and the car itself before purchasing, as you could be sold a lemon, which will put a frustrating strain on you financially. Fortunately, if you are sold a lemon, there are plenty of resources on how to win a lemon law case and the best attorneys around, but it’s best for your sake that you avoid purchasing one in the first place. As great as second-hand cars can be, mostly for saving money on purchasing the vehicle, you have to be savvy and not spontaneous when choosing. Hopefully, one day we will all be able to afford Tesla’s to avoid these woes!
Opening a new car dealership can be an exciting time for the residents in the area, as it will give them an opportunity to look at a more extensive range of cars. And who knows, they may find the perfect Tesla Motor for them. Once they have, you can decide to look into car transportation companies similar to CarsRelo, (you can learn more at https://www.carsrelo.com/) to help get your new car back to your home, as some people may not be comfortable in driving a new car back on the road for the first time, so this could benefit a lot of people. This could be the start of an exciting new adventure for everyone.
Nice upscale add to Van Ness!
So you’re saying Tesla is more “upscale” than Lamborghini?
I will miss seeing the Lamborghini in the corner window while smashed and squeezed into a 38 Geary.
But you’ll be able to see a Tesla while s&s into an electric bus on Van Ness…less horsepower but much more irony!
Even more irony, by the time it opens the 49 will be running on diesel until Van Ness BRT is done
The bassist (guitar player? can’t remember for sure) from Tesla owns a parcel in Sacramento that would be good to build on. I’ve tried to buy it two different times, but there’s no good sewer access, so you’d have to pay to put in two or three blocks worth of sewer main yourself.
“Love Song” was a phenomenal merging of renaissance faire and redneckery. The live cover of “Signs” is obviously well known and with good reason.
Surprised they can afford a showroom on Van Ness, but maybe they get more Spotify kickback money than I imagined.
I think you misread the announcement. They’ll just be singing at the opening of the showroom. Spotify doesn’t pay that well (just ask David Lowery). SIlvery Legacy, now that’s real money.
Why is this a historic building? Looks like a promising pile of rubble.
I don’t know but please save the clock for me if you’re planning to tear it down.
Since you asked…. The building is related to the automobile industry in San Francisco and specifically the Van Ness Avenue corridor which was known as the city’s “Auto Row” from the 1910s through the 1980s. It was the last showroom for new automobiles built along Van Ness Avenue and was designed in the “Art Deco and Streamlined Moderne styles”.
The building is eligible for listing on the California Register of Historical Resources under Criterion 1: “Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States”; Criterion 2: “Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history”; and Criterion 3: “Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values”.
Thanks Emanon. It’s nice to be reminded of the sound reasoning behind most preservation, especially in our rush to build the bland profit first residential boxes that will be taking up space for the next 100 or more years, ala Saitowitz.
Right, so if we just refuse to build anything eventually people will be forced to use the vacant / derelict buildings that haven’t been used in some time. We couldn’t possibly do anything to address the housing / density issues, that would hurt the cultural value of San Francisco.
I am surprised Tesla hasn’t moved quicker into SF considering how many Teslas there are in the City. I’m even more surprised they haven’t paid to secure one of these last remaining gas station sites for a Supercharger station. I do commercial real estate and Auto Sales zoning is incredibly tough to find in SF. As stated above, this is a special use district in SF. I’d imagine having a site to do Service and Maintenance was very high up on their list as well. Has anyone heard of whats going on at 1595 Van Ness (Fiat/Maserati)? I know its currently registered to Fiat Chrysler in Michigan.
Crazy, I didn’t know Chrysler owned the property. Isn’t that kinda uncommon with car dealerships?
Anyway, I too am interested in seeing what happens with that property. But I worry it will sit on FCA’s books for 10 years without anyone there caring.
Service isn’t a very big deal on electric cars.