Historic Preservation Commission approves five businesses for San Francisco Legacy Business Registry

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission on Oct. 2 unanimously adopted staff recommendations to add five businesses to the city’s Legacy Business Registry, the commission said.

The commission voted 7–0 to approve the nominations after staff described each applicant’s history and features recommended for safeguarding. "The Academy of Ballet was established in 1953," preservation staffer Shelly Calcutrani told commissioners, and the nomination highlights its long community programming and historic interior features. Calcutrani also summarized Li Po Lounge, M & H Type and Arian Press (presented as Lyra Corporation), Rebuilding Together San Francisco and Zazie Restaurant, recommending specific elements — from a neon lantern sign to apprenticeship programs and interior murals — for protection.

In public comment, Zoe Carr, director of the Academy of Ballet, urged the commission to recognize the school’s role in training students and providing free demonstrations and scholarships. "I humbly would request that you would consider the Academy of Ballet to become a legacy business," Carr said. Karen Nemcic, executive director of Rebuilding Together San Francisco, described 30 years of home‑repair work and tenancy at Pier 28 since 1991, and Kelsey, a staff member, told the commission that the average Rebuilding Together client is about 74 years old and has an annual household income the presenter gave as $13,332.72.

Richard Curlow, the legacy business program manager, told the commission the program is rolling out marketing and plaque efforts: the program has a logo and new business cards, an RFP for bronze plaques is planned with a goal to have a contract by February and to install plaques by Small Business Week in May. He also described program backlog and processing capacity, saying staff typically processes about 3–5 nominations per HPC meeting and works across roughly 40 applications at once.

Commissioners praised the breadth of applicants and the program’s role in preserving community character. A motion to adopt staff recommendations for all five legacy business applications was made, seconded and approved unanimously.

Next steps: staff will move forward with administrative items described during the meeting (marketing materials and plaque procurement) and will implement the registry protections described in each application.