Plath & Company has completed the Renovation of one of
San Francisco’s historic landmarks – the Gas Light Building.

The fast-track project to restore and modernize the Queen Anne-style building, in just eight months included stripping and refinishing redwood wainscoting, balustrade and trim, and reinforcing the masonry exterior walls.

The San Francisco-based general contractor also created a second floor in the back of the 107-year-old structure for new building space, as well as renovated existing administrative office buildings.

The landmark, located on Buchanan Street near the Marina District, originally housed the San Francisco Gas Light Company, a precursor to PG&E. Now owned by Tusker Corporation, a management company, the building was officially designated official City Landmark #58 in 1974 and is believed to have been designed by Clinton Day in 1895.

Said Tom Hall, Plath project manager, "All work on the exterior was reviewed by the landmark preservation advisory board. It was a challenge to keep the historic brick façade of the building intact during the structural bolting. Another challenge was the restoration of 33 windows that are over 100 years old."

Hayashida Architects of Emeryville and McGrew Architects of San Francisco, worked with Plath to transform the structure into a historically accurate, yet modern office building.

"The exterior didn’t change at all, but inside the changes and new details are complementary to the existing building," said Patrick McGrew, preservation architect.

The $1 million job to restore the building was no small task. Steel columns needed to be attached to the brick walls to structurally reinforce the building. Workers drilled thousands of holes in the brick’s interior face to within one inch of the exterior. Steel columns rise from the ground to the roof and have steel brackets that connect the brick walls to each column.

The original redwood trim and the six-panel doors were also stripped and refinished. The wainscot panels turned out to be curly redwood, which is found only in the lower sections of old growth redwood where the tremendous weight of the thousand-old trees compress the grain, giving it a wavy pattern.

"Although the building is set in the midst of new development, it stands out with its elegance," said McGrew. "The brick that forms the tower is very elaborate and consists of beautifully designed elements that you don’t see even on other buildings from that period."

In order to function as a modern office, Plath installed ADA compliant kitchens and bathrooms and a new 800 amp electrical system. This will accommodate the buildings’ new power requirements, which include an elevator and electric heat pumps located at the exterior. These heat pumps supply both heat and air conditioning.

An antiques store inhabited the 14-room structure in the 1960s, followed by a realty office. Tusker Corporation bought the Gas Light Building in 1999.