555 Larkin

San Francisco CA | Completed 

2022

Gallery | Details
Exterior Rendering of 555 Larkin in San Francisco, an 8-story building with a wavy facade clad in variegated tan colored tile.

555 Larkin’s wavy facade is clad in locally made variegated tile. The corner features an LED scrolling sign that carries the messages of the historic signage that once stood on the corner, and is now preserved and installed in the courtyard. 

Image Credit
David Baker Architects
555 Larkin is a high-density new community bringing 108 new affordable family homes and open space to San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

Constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic, 555 Larkin represents affordable housing as an essential service and was made possible with the concentrated collaboration of a wonderful team: non-profit developer Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, structural engineer KPFF San Francisco, general contractor James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp, and Nibbi Brothers Concrete. 

The new building at the corner of Larkin and Turk is set off with a dynamic 8-story undulating facade clad in local brick. The distinctive curved face is set on a Radius Track framework that brings motion and interest on the street edge. The glassy corner retail space is set to house the Curry Senior Center—also designed by DBA—which will provide services to the larger area. 

555 Larkin is located on the site of a historic structure—the former Keville & Kahn tire shop—which provided repair services and engaged the neighborhood through the thoughtful curation of the corner site’s marquee sign.  Known as the “World’s Biggest Fortune Cookie,” the sign for decades displayed a rotation of inspirational quotes and encouragement, curated by shop owner Bill Brinnon.

The storied marquee has been rehabilitated by DBA_Workshop, our in-house fabrication shop, and installed in the courtyard of the new housing. It will continue to share messages of commentary and encouragement, which are visible through the glassy building lobby.  The history of the site and the sign has also been memorialized in a plaques along the Turk Street sidewalk. 

The building features an extensive sheltered courtyard connected with a flexible community room. The roof hosts a garden that provides fresh produce for developer TNDC’s urban agriculture program as well as sweeping city views for residents.  


Project Details

Project Number
21615

Address

555 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
United States


555 Larkin
https://www.dbarchitect.com/555Larkin

Status
Completed
2022

Number of Units
Studio
23
1 Bedroom
21
2 Bedroom
50
3 Bedroom
14

Total 108

Density Ratios
Project
110,000 sf
Site
18,906 sf
Acres
0.43
Units per Acre
251

Parking
Bicycle Parking
114

Construction
Type IA
8 Stories

Certifications
GreenPoint Rated Platinum

Team

Developer
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
Architect
David Baker Architects

Keywords

Affordable
Mixed-Use

Project Gallery

Detail of the building looking up at 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Exterior Rendering of 555 Larkin in San Francisco, an 8-story building with a wavy facade clad in variegated tan colored tile.
Exterior Rendering looking north of 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Exterior rendering of the entrance to the courtyard at 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Rendering of the lobby looking into the courtyard at 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Exterior rendering of the entrance to 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Diagram of tile for 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Digital view of the entrance lobby at 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Refurbished sign at the previous site, now sits in the courtyard at 555 Larkin in San Francisco which states "Every town is a ghost town if you live there long enough. - John King"
Sign for the previous 555 Larkin site that states "Every town is a ghost town if you live there long enough. - John King"
A piece of artwork that appears in the lobby at 555 Larkin, featuring a black-and-white collage of photos of quotes on the historic marquee sign, with overlaid color fields.
Sign at previous 555 Larkin site that states "We have failed our first duty. To keep our children safe. They will remind us again. March 24. Will we listen?"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin site that states "Earth Day. The Navajo Hogans among the sand and willows were made of sand and willows. - Willa Carter"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin location that states "The Sea of suffering is deep and wide. A turn of the head is the other side. - Bhikshuni Heng-Yin"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin site that states "Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin site that states "Beneath our feet are the answers. Geology shows us what happened. The magma below tells how in our core zone lie the whys."
Sign at previous 555 Larkin site that states "San Francisco will always welcome visitors. Rich or poor. But Manteca for the middle class."
Sign at previous 555 Larkin site that states "Sometimes I think of political leaders as boat passengers who clim onto the deck and pretend to steer the heaving vessel. - Stephen Breyer"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin location in San Francisco.
Sign at previous 555 Larkin location that states "We have to be better. We have to love more and hate less. Listen more and talk less. - Megan Rapinoe"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin location that states "The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast. - Gavin Elster"
Sign at previous 555 Larkin location that states "Here's your book back. World. Good Story! Underlined a few things. So Ry! - Don Patterson"
Three men standing with their arms around each other.
Mock-up of the signage explaining the history and significance of the site, in panels to be installed along the sidewalk.
Level one site plan for 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Level two site plan for 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Level eight site plan for 555 Larkin in San Francisco.
Roof plan for 555 Larkin in San Francisco.