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Historic Preservation Commission backs landmark designation for Mint Mall and Hall in SoMa
Summary
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend landmarking the Mint Mall and Hall at 951–957 Mission Street, recognizing its role as a long-standing cultural and residential hub for the Filipino community. The recommendation, introduced by Supervisor Matt Dorsey, will go to the Board of Supervisors.
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted 7–0 on Sept. 3 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors designate the Mint Mall and Hall, at 951–957 Mission Street, as an individual landmark under Article 10 of the Planning Code.
Staff said the property meets the commission’s designation criteria because of its long-standing community role for Filipino residents and businesses and its distinctive interior and exterior character-defining features. Moses Corett, Planning Department staff, told commissioners the designation was initiated by a resolution introduced by Supervisor Matt Dorsey and that a revised ordinance and translation of the fact sheet were included in the packet.
The memo presented exterior and interior character-defining elements including the five-story massing with mezzanine, a postmodern storefront on Mission Street, and publicly accessible interior corridors with a neon “Mint Mall” sign, checkered tile floors and an open stairway. Zachary Fraile of SomCan, who helped author the designation report, described the building as “a nerve center for the community, a gateway building, and a starting point for Filipino immigrants to the Bay Area,” and described long‑running tenants such as Archipelago Books, JT Restaurant and Bindlestiff Studios.
Community members and longtime tenants delivered public testimony supporting landmarking. Madison Tam, legislative aide to Supervisor Matt Dorsey, described the supervisor’s “strong support” for the designation and noted the supervisor’s personal ties to the site. Tess Diaz, a tenant and owner of JT’s Restaurant, said in a submitted statement that the building “has been the home away from home of our kababayans from The Philippines in San Francisco” and urged approval. Representatives of community organizations including SomCan, SOMA Pilipinas and San Francisco Heritage testified in favor, describing the Mint Mall’s role in sheltering new immigrant families, hosting civic organizing (including the Save the Mint Mall campaign during the .com-era evictions), and sustaining cultural events such as Pascosa SoMa.
Commission discussion included a request to correct a clerical error in clause 5 of the draft resolution (changing the referenced organization name to Mint Mall and Hall), which staff confirmed would be corrected. Commissioners praised the bilingual fact sheet and the community-led development of the nomination.
The commission’s recommendation is a non-binding step that forwards the designation to the Board of Supervisors for final action under Article 10. The department noted that the owners had not provided formal comment and that the ownership has been held in one family trust for several decades.
Action: The commission adopted a recommendation for approval as corrected. Vote: 7–0 (Cox: Aye; Chen Strang: Aye; Barone: Aye; Baldauff: Aye; Vergara: Yes; Foley: Aye; President Matsuda: Yes).
Next steps: The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of Supervisors for consideration of formal landmark designation under the Planning Code.
