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Historic Cliff Hotel at 495 Geary OK’d for rooftop addition with conditions
Summary
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission approved a major permit to alter 495 Geary Street (the Cliff Hotel) to enclose a rooftop tent and add a one‑story rooftop room, finding the design compatible with Article 11 and Secretary of the Interior standards; approval includes a condition for a stucco mock‑up.
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved a major permit to alter 495 Geary Street — historically known as the Cliff Hotel — authorizing a one‑story rooftop addition that will enclose an existing non‑historic tent structure and include stucco cladding, profiled aluminum multilite windows, and standing‑seam roofing.
Planning staff recommended approval with conditions, saying the project “will be in conformance with the requirements of article 11 and the Secretary of the Interior standards for rehabilitation” and noting the addition will be visible only from a distance on a secondary elevation. Rebecca Salgado, planning staff, told commissioners the proposed addition “will be clad with stucco matching the cladding of the historic Cliff Residence to be compatible with the historic building, but…have a simple contemporary design to distinguish the addition from the historic property.”
The project team, representing the property owner and design firm Gensler, said the scope is intended to convert a temporary tent into a permanent exterior façade while improving life‑safety conditions. “We are preparing a renovation of this temporary, tent space,” the project representative said, explaining the plan would preserve existing finishes where feasible and “put our exterior facade walls right along the parapet.” The architect showed historic and contemporary photographs and said the terrace area has limited public visibility because it sits within the U‑shaped interior of the hotel.
Staff’s recommendation included one condition: the project sponsor must provide a mock‑up of the proposed stucco cladding to ensure the finish is compatible with the existing historic materials. No public comments were submitted on the item.
A motion to approve the permit with conditions carried unanimously; the record shows the motion passed by roll call, six votes to zero.
Next steps: The approval is conditioned on the mock‑up and other standard preservation review items; the project will proceed to the permit and building‑safety review processes required by the Planning Department and related agencies.
