SEC. 5. JUSTIFICATION.

   The characteristics of the Conservation District justifying its designation are as follows:

   (a)   History of the District. The Mint-Mission Conservation District is representative of the post-1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire reconstruction period and the evolution of land use patterns at the northern edge of the South of Market neighborhood dating to the mid-nineteenth century. The District retains a mix of residential hotels, small scale commercial buildings, warehouses and manufacturing facilities reflective of the area’s role as the center of industrial production in San Francisco and the major supplier of mining equipment, heavy machinery and other goods to the western states. Residential hotels provided housing for the largely single men employed by the nearby factories and manufacturing operations and in seasonal or temporary positions along the waterfront. This land use pattern was replicated during the reconstruction of South of Market following the 1906 earthquake and fire. The District encompasses a cohesive concentration of reinforced concrete and brick masonry buildings constructed between 1906 and 1930. The District is particularly notable as it is a survivor of the extensive redevelopment of SoMa in the late twentieth century during which much of the building stock from the period when the neighborhood served as the city’s industrial and manufacturing center was razed.

   (b)   Basic Nature of the District. The District is characterized by small- to mid-scale industrial, residential, and commercial buildings ranging in height from one to ten stories, with the predominate height between two and five stories. Most buildings in the District are constructed on through-lots with visible rear elevations. The District includes several warehouses and industrial lofts, three residential hotels with commercial ground floors, and a former bank. Twenty-two properties are located in the District, 19 of which are Category I-IV buildings.

   (c)   Architectural Character. The buildings are primarily constructed of reinforced concrete and brick masonry and are largely industrial in style and feature Classical Revival detailing typical of early 20th century commercial architecture in San Francisco. Ornament on residential and mixed-use buildings consists of belt courses, arches, moldings and drip pendants, applied cast shields or swag, and corniced rooflines often featuring brackets, modillions, and dentil moldings. The District’s buildings are largely clad in smooth finish stucco or brick, with a few structures clad with rusticated stucco, terra cotta, and concrete.

   (d)   Uniqueness and Location. The District is comprised of one of the few intact concentrations of residential hotels, small-scale commercial buildings, warehouses and manufacturing facilities remaining in the South of Market neighborhood. The District is reflective of the land use patterns developed in SoMa in the late nineteenth century and continued following the 1906 earthquake and fire. Twenty-two buildings are located in the District. Five of the buildings located within the District were constructed between 1906-1907, one of which is a partial survivor of the 1906 earthquake and fire. The District is unique in that most of its buildings are constructed on through-lots with visible rear elevations. The District is adjacent to the Kearny-Market-Mason-Sutter Conservation District and borders the 6th Street Lodginghouse Historic District. The Old Mint, a National Historic Landmark, is located across from the eastern border and pre-dates the period of significance of the District. The District is particularly noteworthy as it survived the mid-twentieth century redevelopment of SoMa during which much of the area’s building stock dating to the period when the neighborhood served as the city’s manufacturing center was razed.

   (e)   Visual and Functional Unity. The District is a cohesive mix of small- to mid-scale buildings with common architectural character and vocabulary.

   (f)   Dynamic Continuity. The District is located at the intersection of the major large-scale retail and commercial function of Market Street and the mix of small-business storefronts, residential hotels and industrial buildings converted to office and residential use that characterize the South of Market neighborhood.

   (g)   Benefits to the City and its Residents. As the anchor to the district, the Old Mint is surrounded by the mix of residential hotels, industrial, manufacturing and warehouse structures found in the District. Mint-Mission is unique to San Francisco as it is one of the few remaining intact clusters of buildings that reflect South of Market’s nineteenth-century function as the city’s industrial and manufacturing center.

(Added by Ord. 257-18, File No. 180724, App. 11/2/2018, Eff. 12/3/2018)