San Francisco CA | Completed
A respite in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, 555 Larkin is an elegant, high-density community replacing a historic garage and disused parking lot with affordable homes for low-income families and individuals.
The distinctive eight-story mid-rise is set off with a dynamic undulating facade that brings motion and interest to the street edge. This curved face was created with a Radius Track framework and clad in locally glazed brick. The brick lifts at the primary corner to reveal a three-level glassy “lantern” that houses the neighborhood-serving Curry Senior Center—also designed by DBA—at the ground floor.
Residents enjoy on-site services, an expansive sheltered courtyard broadly linked with a flexible community room and kitchen, and an urban roof garden that provides fresh produce and sweeping city views.
The building sits on the site of the former Keville & Kahn tire shop, a historic fixture known for thoughtful curation of messages on the site’s prominent marquee sign. Honoring this history, the architect restored and installed the original marquee in the building courtyard, where it continues to share messages of encouragement, visible from the street through the open, transparent building lobby.
Constructed during the Pandemic, 555 Larkin represents affordable housing as an essential service. With no precedent for building under such conditions, the project team remained flexible and resourceful—prioritizing health and safety while navigating disrupted supply chains to bring much-needed homes to an underserved area.
Project Details
555 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
United States
Total 108
