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Oceanwide Center is a mixed-use skyscraper complex on hold in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California, consisting of two towers.

Design

The taller tower, located at 50 First Street, is expected to rise 910 feet (280 m) and contain 34 stories (1,010,000 square feet (94,000 m)) of office space below 19 floors with approximately 111 residential units. The base of the tower includes a six-story tall, outdoor "urban room" of public open space. The tower will feature diagonal, exterior bracing and taper towards the top, reminiscent of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. If completed as proposed, the 905-foot (276 m) tower would become San Francisco's second-tallest building after Salesforce Tower, surpassing the long time record-holder, the Transamerica Pyramid.

The shorter tower, at 512 Mission Street, is planned to climb 605 feet (184 m) and will contain the 169-room Waldorf Astoria San Francisco hotel on the first 21 floors and approximately 154 residential units on the upper 33 floors.

History

The parcels around 50 First Street were upzoned as part of the Transit Center District Plan approved in 2012 in conjunction with the new Salesforce Transit Center. The parcels were originally assembled by developer David Choo and a plan was floated in 2007 for towers as tall as 1,200 feet (370 m) designed by Renzo Piano. Choo was eventually forced to sell the property during the 2008 financial crisis.

In 2013, TMG Partners and Northwood Investors acquired the property out of bankruptcy court for US$122 million. TMG and Northwood hired Foster + Partners and Heller Manus Architects to re-design the project. In 2015, Beijing-based Oceanwide Holdings acquired the property for US$296 million. A groundbreaking ceremony for the buildings was held on December 8, 2016.

Construction on the shorter of the two towers was suspended in 2019 due to economic conditions. Subsequently, the construction on the second, taller tower was also halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024 the sale of the stalled project was blocked by legal disputes.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in San Francisco

External links

• Oceanwide Center - Foster + Partners

References

1. "Emporis building ID 1212107". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
2. "Oceanwide Center, San Francisco". SkyscraperPage.
3. ^ "Application for Downtown Authorization". San Francisco Planning Commission. June 5, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
4. "50 First Street Tower 1". The Skyscraper Center.
5. King, John (July 23, 2014). "A gasp-inducing plan for S.F. skyline, from the ground up". San Francisco Chronicle.
6. Hopkins, Brittany (March 22, 2016). "A Closer Look At Oceanwide Center's Proposed Public Open Space". Hoodline.
7. King, John (January 25, 2016). "New construction means rising expectations for Transbay district". San Francisco Chronicle.
8. "Waldorf Astoria San Francisco Hotel Announced". Hotel News Resource. August 9, 2016.
9. "Plans For San Francisco's Second Tallest Tower Are Taking Shape". SocketSite. August 17, 2015.
10. "Planning's Towering Transit Center District Plan Decision: Approved". SocketSite. May 24, 2012.
11. King, John (December 21, 2006). "Proposal to build two massive towers in SF". San Francisco Chronicle.
12. Dineen, J.K. (June 1, 2008). "Prime San Francisco Transbay project on the block". San Francisco Business Times.
13. Dineen, J.K. (June 6, 2013). "TMG Partners, Northwood to take over massive Transbay project". San Francisco Business Times.
14. "Foster + Partners to design First and Mission Towers in San Francisco" (Press release). Foster + Partners. March 27, 2014.
15. Amdur, Nancy (February 4, 2015). "China's Oceanwide Holdings Looks to Transform First and Mission Site in San Francisco". The Registry.
16. Weinberg, Cory (January 14, 2015). "Chinese developer to buy iconic First and Mission site for $300 million". San Francisco Business Times.
17. Brinklow, Adam (December 8, 2016). "San Francisco's second-tallest building finally breaks ground". Curbed SF.
18. "San Francisco's Oceanwide Center breaks ground" (Press release). Foster + Partners. December 9, 2016.
19. ^ Waxmann, Laura (October 29, 2020). "Exclusive: Oceanwide pauses construction on second tower due to pandemic". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
20. Waxmann, Laura. "Stalled S.F. tower project remains in limbo as lender seeks to block potential sale". San Francisco Chronicle.
21. "Giant pit near Salesforce Tower is symbol of SF's uncertain future". The San Francisco Standard. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-10-27.

• China Oceanwide Holdings Group
• Skyscrapers in San Francisco
• Residential condominiums in the United States
• South of Market, San Francisco
• Proposed skyscrapers in the United States