Hibernia Bank Building (San Francisco)

The Hibernia Bank,[2] headquartered in San Francisco, California, was founded in April 1859 as the Hibernia Savings and Loan Society.[3] In 1892, the company built a Beaux-Arts headquarters at 1 Jones Street at the corner of McAllister and Market Streets, designed by Albert Pissis. Slightly damaged in the 1906 earthquake and fire, it re-opened again just five weeks after the calamity; Pissis designed an addition to the building in 1908.

Hibernia Bank Building
(2017)
Hibernia Bank
Location within San Francisco County
General information
Typebank
Location1 Jones St
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37.7812593°N 122.414381°W / 37.7812593; -122.414381
Completed1892; 1906
DesignatedAugust 2, 1981[1]
Reference no.130

The bank left the building in 1985, and, after a brief period in which it was used by the San Francisco Police Department, the building was vacant for decades, until it was restored and renovated in 2016. As of 2017, the building, re-branded as "One Jones", is being subdivided for leasing to tenants who need less than the building's overall 42,000 square feet (3,900 m2) of space.

The Hibernia Bank Building is a designated San Francisco landmark.

Early history

The Hibernia Savings and Loan Society was founded in a small office at the corner of Jackson and Montgomery Streets, although it soon moved to larger offices nearby[4]

The banking room in the building, as documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey

In 1892, the bank's new headquarters at 1 Jones Street, on the corner of McAllister and Market Streets, was completed; it was designed by Albert Pissis in the Beaux-Arts style, and was referred to by San Franciscans as "The Paragon". In a poll of 20 artists made by the San Francisco Call shortly after the building was completed, 14 of the artists voted for the new building as the "best" in San Francisco; the next building (the Mills Building) received only 4 votes.[4][5] Pissis also designed an expansion of the building, which was completed in 1908.[5]

The building largely survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, taking some damage from the fire. It was one of the first buildings to be restored afterwards, re-opening on May 25, 1906, just five weeks later.[4]

Later history

The building was designated an official San Francisco Landmark on August 2, 1981.[1]

The Hibernia Savings and Loan Society left the building in 1985, and was acquired by Security Pacific Bank in 1988. Security Pacific Bank itself was acquired by Bank of America in 1992.

The building at 1 Jones Street was used by the San Francisco Police Department beginning in the 1990s as the location for their Tenderloin Task Force, until 2000, when the Tenderloin Police Station was completed. The building was then purchased by an out-of-town investor. Eight years later, with the building vacant, it was bought by a local real estate investor for $3.95 million, despite the attempts of a consortium of organizations to create a cultural arts center there, including museums dedicated to radio and music.[6] The new owner spent some time looking for a single tenant for the building's 42,000 square feet (3,900 m2) of space, but it remained vacant. By 2013. the building was marred by graffiti and the sidewalk in front of it was often the site of drug sales and public urination,[4][7][8] but in early 2016, the building received a $15 million renovation and restoration, along with earthquake-retrofitting.

On May 26, 2016, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a fund-raising event in the renovated building.[9]

In 2017, not having found a tenant who would take the entire building, the building was re-branded as "One Jones", and began to be subdivided for tenants needing smaller amounts of space.[4][7][10] The successful redevelopment of the building is seen as important for the revitalization of the Tenderloin as a neighborhood.[11]

Other history

In 1974, a branch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco's Sunset District was robbed by the Symbionese Liberation Army and Patty Hearst.[12]

See also

References
  1. "San Francisco Preservation Bulletin No.9: San Francisco Designated Landmarks". City of San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  2. "Guide to the Hibernia Bank Records, 1859-1971" at The Bancroft Library Online Archives of California
  3. Predergast, Thomas F. (2001). "The Hibernia Bank Group". Forgotten pioneers : Irish leaders in early California. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. pp. 198–206. ISBN 9780898753905.
  4. Ellinger, Mark (ndg) "Fallen from Grace: The Hibernia Bank Building" Shaping San Francisco's Digital Archive @ Found
  5. Ferrato, Phillip (August 14, 2012) "Hibernia Bank, Jewel of the Tenderloin" Curbed San Francisco
  6. Staff (ndg) "Hibernia Bank sold for $3.95 million" Gray Area
  7. Nevius, C. W. (May 9, 2016) "Hibernia Bank building a symbol of rebirth for the Tenderloin" San Francisco Chronicle
  8. Elsen, Tracy (December 11, 2015) "Restored Hibernia Bank Finally Ready for New Tenants" Curbed San Francisco
  9. Keeling, Brock (May 25, 2016) "Hillary Clinton Hosting Event at Historic Hibernia Bank Thursday" Curbed San Francisco
  10. Sisto, Carrie (April 10, 2017) "In Effort To Attract Tenants, Hibernia Bank Building To Subdivide, Rebrand As 'One Jones'" Hoodline
  11. Torres, Bianca (April 6, 2017) "Developer has a Jones for this empty historic Mid-Market office building" San Francisco Business Times
  12. Staff (September 29, 1975). "Radicals: Patty's Twisted Journey". Time. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
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