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Supervisors back committee report to landmark 2 Henry Adams building to protect showrooms
Summary
The Land Use & Transportation Committee voted to send a positive committee report to the full Board recommending landmark designation of 2 Henry Adams Street — the San Francisco Design Center — to protect PDR showrooms and limit office conversion.
Chair Katie Tang convened the committee and President Malia Cohen asked supervisors to support designating 2 Henry Adams Street — home to the San Francisco Design Center — as a city landmark to preserve production, distribution and repair (PDR) showrooms.
"We deserve, and we have a responsibility to maintain and to preserve it in San Francisco," President Malia Cohen said, arguing landmark status would protect existing showrooms, require a historic-structure report, a relocation strategy for displaced PDR tenants, and an impact study of any conversion.
Cohen said the proposal follows prior Board action that imposed vertical controls and conditional-use safeguards to prevent wholesale conversion of landmark buildings in PDR districts. Planning staff and the Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval; the HPC unanimously supported designation at its Nov. 7 hearing, Planning staff said.
Speakers representing the property and longtime tenants testified in favor. Joshua Leonard, representing the building owner, described the center as "absolutely a gem" and said the owner supports landmarking to fund repairs and ADA upgrades. Longtime showroom operators told the committee the proposal strikes a balance by allowing limited conversions on the top floors while protecting street-level showrooms. Tenants said the center houses about 85 showrooms and that nearly 100 showroom tenants signed letters of support.
After public comment Supervisor Asha Safaie moved to send the item to the full Board as a committee report with a positive recommendation; the motion passed without objection.
The committee action does not adopt landmark status itself. The item will be considered by the full Board on Dec. 11 as a committee report; any formal designation would follow that full-board action and required findings under the Planning Code and Article 10.
