REAL ESTATE

The Pleasures Of Urban Living

by Pamela Troy

How do we love San Francisco? Let us count the ways. We love North Beach clubs on a warm night, and Chinatown restaurants after a movie. We love the fountains of Yerba Buena Park, the bike paths of Golden Gate Park, the shops of Union Street. We love living here. If we don’t live in The City, we love to visit. And because so many people come here to visit and to live, alternatives to traditional hotels and apartments have become more and more common. Luxury residential condominiums in hotels and fractional ownership units are offering clients options that combine the best of hotel and apartment living.

One of the first residential hotels in San Francisco is Yerba Buena’s Four Seasons. Built in 2001, within easy walking distance of SFMOMA, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and any number of shops and restaurants, it has 142 condominiums, ranging in size from one bedroom to grand penthouses, from 1,200 square feet to 4,500 square feet. The lowest-end units are in the range of $1.3–$1.4 million. One sale went for over $2,000 per square foot.

“Any sales that now come up are resales,” observes Four Season’s resident supervisor Esty Lawrie. “The values are very strong. A lot of the people here have sold large homes and want this lifestyle, where it’s very simple. It’s a community in the building — people don’t want to leave. So when a unit becomes available it sells quickly. Everybody you meet here loves it.”

Along with the spacious floor plans, views are a big part of the appeal. A sense of space and brightness is enhanced by floor-to-ceiling windows offering vistas of the bay, Alcatraz, and the downtown district. Head concierge Lynda Wagstaff remembers a painter who once visited one of the upper units and told her afterwards, “That was a rock star view!”

But it’s the consistent, personalized service that sets the Four Seasons apart. The residents expect a level of service,” says Wagstaff. “We have three concierges and three attendants to take care of packages and run errands. Anticipation is a big part of our job. It’s a matter of constantly being ahead of the game. We call it, ‘Wowing them.’” This flair for improvisation can range from researching options when a resident’s first choice in a restaurant is unavailable, to providing an inflatable trampoline for a children’s party.

“It’s pretty much like being in a hotel when you have a residency there,” says realtor Alicia Drake. “One great thing is, there’s always a space for your guest in case they come to visit with you. And everybody remembers your name. Even if you just go in one time as the guest of someone, they’ll know your name the next time you visit.”

Another South of Market location for this new wrinkle in urban living is Millennium Tower, the striking, newly constructed all-residential high rise at Beale and Mission that includes a 20,000-square-foot amenity floor. According to sales manager Deborah Nelson, Michael Mina’s restaurant, RN 74, a ground-floor tenant, will be providing services to Millennium Tower residents, both in the Tower’ dining room and in catering to individual apartments.

While room service similar to a hotel’s will not be available, Nelson says, “The private dining room will be available just for residents or their guests. Michael is even creating a residents-only menu.” Additional unique amenities will include a wine-tasting room, a wine cellar with individual lockers for the tenants, and a screening room.

Residences are divided into three categories: Residences in the high-rise tower (floors 3-25), City Residences in the mid-rise tower, and Grand Residences (Floors 26-60). All have flowing and inviting floor plans, perfect for entertaining. In addition, the Millennium’s architecture makes it a skyline landmark. This crystalline-looking tower is the fourth tallest building in San Francisco — and the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi.

Our sense of scale has changed drastically in the last century. The red brick building that’s recently undergone renovation on the corner of Kearney and Market was one of the first skyscrapers on the West Coast and once the tallest building in San Francisco. Its relatively modest size means that while there are a few nice views overlooking Nob Hill, the Bay Bridge, and SOMA, the Ritz-Carleton is not promoting its new residence building as a “view” location. What it lacks in San Francisco Bay panoramas, however it makes up for in a rich history.

Designed in by Daniel Burnham and John Root, the creators of New York’s famous flatiron building, this building once housed the San Francisco Chronicle. “Burnham and Root were famous for fireproof construction because of the Chicago fire,” says architect Charles Bloszies, who’d done the work on the building. “The building was steel and cast iron, the floors tile, the walls brick, so even though a top corner collapsed, it survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. According to the Chronicle, it was the first major building back in service after the disaster.”

“Here, you’re buying into a piece of San Francisco history,” says Ritz-Carleton marketing director Devon Kessler “This is much older and a more residential experience than the floor-to-ceiling glass experience. You have three-and-a-half-foot windowsills, crown moldings. And of course the Ritz-Carleton services and lifestyle.”

This will include a full-service fitness center, valet parking, 24-hour concierge service, valet-attended garage parking, in-residence dining with a private chef, and a private members lounge on the 12th floor, with a patio. A members’ reception will be held every Thursday evening.

Both fractional and whole ownership residences are available in the building. “We have about a 50-50 of both,” says Kessler. “It’s not really a timeshare. It’s more akin to second-home ownership. You’re only paying for what you’re using. If you’re only going to be in the city 20 days, you’re not buying for the whole year. You’re buying a piece of the building. It’s deeded ownership.” One-bedroom fractionals start at $239,000 for 21 days of use. One-bedroom condominium whole ownership starts at 1.5 million dollars.

Fractional ownership is also offered at Fairmont Heritage Place, a new private residence club at Ghirardelli Square. Todd Chapman is the owner and developer of the square, and he strives to appeal to visitors to San Francisco without resorting to the T-shirt emporium cheesiness that’s too often the hallmark of tourist areas.

“One of the things we’ve focused on,” he explains, “is unique architecture and location. Intrinsic in our design was highlighting outdoor space. We have grand balconies and decks on our units. People can go out and, it’s right there on the north waterfront, with a view of Alcatraz, Marin headlands, the bay.

“We’ve also maximized the brick-and-timber nature of the building. Some units have significant elements of these juxtaposed with contemporary touches in the kitchen. We’ve also got 100,000 feet of retail that we’ve designed to feel intimate, European. There’s a European-style grocery, Marché On the Square, and a restaurant with chef Gary Danko.”

“There are people who live near San Francisco who frequent the city for culture, fine food, the arts, sporting events, and shopping. In other words, they’re coming in for lifestyle events, for three-to-seven-day increments.” Amenities are offered to minimize the hassles of such trips.

“We want people to bring their pets, so we have dog walkers. We’ll stock refrigerators with groceries before you arrive. We have professional chefs who cook for you, childcare, a concierge. We even have a Maserati house car so residents can park their own car in our garage.”

And then there’s the Odeon, in the thick of downtown San Fran-cisco, one block from Union Square; a three-bedroom, 2,500-foot-plus fractionally owned corner penthouse, with windows offering a view of Powell Street at its most lively and enticing.

Keith Cox, the managing partner of Resort Equities, emphasizes the sense of personal ownership that the Odeon provides. “It’s a cozy environment on this top floor. There’s a real dining room area with banquettes, a large kitchen, a sunken living room with a large screen TV hidden away. And there’s a large closet. Owners can leave coats, sweaters and jackets and such in the residence.”

No concierge is provided, though local property managers can arrange babysitting, pre-arrival grocery shopping, and dog-walking (in spite of the fact that no pets are allowed). Part of the Odeon’s appeal is the sense it provides of being a home — not a hotel. “Residents are typically people who love San Francisco,” says Cox. “They’ve chosen us because they don’t want the hotel experience. They want the second home experience, doing their own shopping, etc. After their first walkthrough, we usually don’t hear from them except for repairs.”

Everybody, whether they live here or are just visiting, has their own way of making this city seem their own. Some like the personal luxuries of a hotel; others prefer the sense that they possess a part of San Francisco. It all comes down to what approach allows you to set your hat or your luggage down with the most ease and the least trouble.

Then you can go on to what it’s really all about — getting out and enjoying what this city has to offer.

Pamela Troy has an MFA from the University of North Carolina. She’s a freelance writer who lives on Nob Hill, and works in the Events Department of the Mechanics Institute.

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