815 Tennessee | San Francisco, CA

For nearly a century, a brick warehouse stood on this site in San Francisco's broadly diverse Dogpatch neighborhood. The building was not designated historic, yet the surrounding community wanted it preserved. When DM Development set out to bring new housing to the site, honoring that local attachment became part of the mission.

The task was to add density without erasing memory. Rather than clear the site or attempt a full restoration, BDE Architecture chose to keep the original portion of the brick building as a romanticized ruin, an homage to the site's first construction, and to wrap it with a new 69-unit residential development in Type III A over I A construction. Old masonry and new homes had to be composed so that each would strengthen the other, and so that the past would remain legible at the heart of the project.

Completed in 2018, 815 Tennessee Street gives residents and neighbors a public open-air courtyard framed by the preserved brick walls. The warehouse remains part of Dogpatch's story, now as the centerpiece of a place where people live, and the community's wish to keep it has become the project's defining feature.

Address: 815 Tennessee St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Client: DM Development

Number of Units: 69

Construction Type: IIIA / IA

Year Completed: 2018

Photographer: Bruce Damonte, 2018

A brick building with modern multi-story apartment complex in the background, on a city street with pedestrians and cars.
The image shows a modern building entrance with glass doors and a glass interior wall featuring a star-like light pattern. The exterior combines wooden panels on the upper levels and exposed brick on the right side, with a concrete step on the left.
Modern building exterior with a glass facade on the left and a brick wall on the right, with an entryway at the center where a person is walking.
Modern lobby with wooden accents, decorative wall panel with light patterns, staircase, large windows, potted plant, and minimalist furniture.
Modern multi-story residential building with large glass windows, brick and wood exterior, situated on a city street with parked cars and pedestrians.
Modern multi-story apartment building with brick, glass, and wood accents on a city street, cars parked in front, and a clear blue sky.
Modern multi-story residential building with balconies and landscaped courtyard under a blue sky.
Modern indoor courtyard with brick walls, large windows, and minimalist LED light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. The space features a paved floor and built-in wooden seating with planters.