Jazz Comes to Hayes Valley

SFJazz is coming to Hayes Valley, but in order to do so they first have to get rid of an auto shop! Construction – well, technically at this point, demolition – has commenced at the future site of the first stand-alone concert hall in the U.S. dedicated to jazz. Although it is a wet and kind-of-miserable morning in San Francisco, I grabbed a couple of pictures when I was in the neighborhood this morning.

What was once a former auto repair shop (relocated to SOMA) has quickly disappeared and is in the process of becoming a LEED certified building dedicated to jazz.

The building is designed by architect Mark Cavagnero and the hope is to open the facility in the fall of 2012 (October, but we know how these things can change). The projected cost of the building, which will be about 35,000 square feet, is between $50 million and $60 million depending upon who you ask.

SF Jazz Construction in Hayes Valley

Bye Bye Auto Shop, Hello Jazz!

I think the building will be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood, particularly given how close it will be to other SF cultural insinstitutions like the SF Symphony, Ballet and Opera. It is also an incredibly transit friendly location, not far from the Civic Center BART or the Van Ness muni station.

When complete, the building will offer:

• State-of-the-art auditorium, adjustable from 350 to 700 seats
• 80-seat multi-purpose ensemble room
• Rehearsal spaces & digital learning lab
• Café at sidewalk level
• Ground floor lobby, retail shop and box office SFJAZZ administrative offices

If you are a huge fan of Jazz and can’t imagine living anywhere other than steps from this great new building, then you’ll be glad to know that both The Hayes and Linden Hayes are two of the most recently completed condo buildings that are just steps from this wonderful new addition to the Hayes Valley neighborhood.

I’ll try and keep you updated with construction progress photos as the months pass.