Commission approves rooftop addition and hip skylight at 809 Montgomery with conditions

On March 6, the Historic Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for alterations to 809 Montgomery Street in the Jackson Square Historic District, including replacement of nonhistoric windows and doors, a one‑story rooftop addition with roof deck and a rear two‑story addition.

Planning staff recommended approval with conditions requiring the sponsor submit shop drawings for windows and a sample of proposed brick cladding for staff review. The project team (Page & Turnbull and Olson Kundig) described extensive outreach beginning in 2016, retention of character‑defining features (heavy timber), a reduced rooftop addition lowered by 2 feet 10 inches, and a preferred hip lantern skylight option. The rooftop addition was described as approximately 1,700 square feet, set back about 33 feet from the Montgomery Street façade.

Commissioners focused on skylight design, potential green‑wall maintenance for a neighbor’s wall, and egress/fire issues regarding assembly versus office occupancy on upper floors. Project team members said they had preliminary sign‑off from fire and building on a circulation strategy that routes occupants through the basement to an alternate exit and proposed increased fire‑rating measures where needed.

Neighbors and Telegraph Hill groups indicated support for the revised design and staff conditions. The commission added a condition directing the sponsor to work with staff on final green‑wall/structure details and endorsed the hip skylight as the preferred design. The motion to approve with conditions passed unanimously, 6–0.

Provenance: staff presentation began at SEG 463 and the motion and vote concluded the item at SEG 875–SEG 899.