Demolition plan turns into rehab effort for art studios

San Francisco Examiner | March 18, 2009

New space: A rendering of an artist’s multi-purpose room and artist’s lounge in Building 101, Hunters Point Naval shipyard. Courtesy Rendering

SAN FRANCISCO – Officials are scrambling to quickly spend a $2.1 million grant on a former Navy fallout shelter at Hunters Point Shipyard, after artists who lease studios in the dilapidated building objected to its demolition.

Roughly 300 artists lease low-cost studios in aging buildings on otherwise-barren land at the edge of the abandoned San Francisco shipyard, which is slated to be redeveloped in coming years.

The 106,000-square-foot, two-story wood-framed Building 101, home to 141 studios, was among artists’ buildings previously slated for demolition. Master developer Lennar Corp. has released plans showing how demolished studios would be replaced in a new arts district.

But artists told the Redevelopment Agency — which is overseeing shipyard redevelopment efforts — that they wanted the 66-year-old building preserved, according to project manager Thor Kaslofsky.

The agency now plans to use the $2.1 million federal grant to rehabilitate Building 101, which would become the hub of the arts district, Kaslofsky said.

The grant, which expires in mid-August, was awarded in 2004 to fund a shipyard community center, but the money has not been spent and construction has been delayed, according to Kaslofsky.

The refurbishment would include the replacement of stairs, doors that do not lock and 830 windows, and the overhaul of a meeting room into a lounge and exhibition space, under plans approved Tuesday evening by agency commissioners.

“Spending $2 million by August is really a tremendous challenge,” Commissioner Rick Swig said during the hearing.

Painter and printmaker Karen Slater, who has leased studio space in Building 101 for 14 years, told The Examiner that artists are happy the building will be preserved.

“It’s well-suited to our use,” Slater said. “It’ll be one of the few structures remaining when the redevelopment process is complete, so it’ll be one of the few links to the past.”

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