Huge thanks to our Tenderloin Center build team

How many people does it take to transform an abandoned liquor store into a beautiful space for kids, for half the going price? A whole lot of people!

As you can see from the picture above, renovations in our new space at 180 Golden Gate are well underway! Our contractors have been hard at work the past few months, updating the electricity and heating systems, installing new windows, and adding structural reinforcements to the space. Built in 1908, the building has lived many lives, from carriage workshop, movie film storage and distribution, popcorn maker and supplier, and soon-to-be a purveyor of nautical goods and student writing.

So how many people does it take to transform an abandoned liquor store into a writing lab for kids, fronted by department store helmed by a royal puffer fish? A whole lot of people, as it turns out!

We’d like to take a moment to give a shout out to the many, many in-kind contributors who are helping to bring our vision for the Tenderloin Center to life.

Big thanks to our partners on this project:

MKThink, for taking the lead with interior architecture.
INTERSTICE Architects, for taking the lead with exterior architecture.
Gensler for designing the look and feel of our retail, student, and admin space.
Office, for helping with the branding of the new store and center, including exterior signage and product design.
BCCI Construction, for leading the construction from start to finish; special shout-out to the BCCI president, Mike Scribner, whose simple mantra “SF has been good to us, it is time to give back” has effectively brought in subcontractor contributions to this project.
• Tipping Structural Engineers, who’ve been an integral part of the design team, offering invaluable advice on all sorts of little and big aspects of the project.
• Valerie Veronin, for overseeing and managing all these moving parts and helping it all hang together.
• and Jonas Kellner, our lead architect who has his hand in all of it. We call him Mr. Everything!

We are in awe of how these amazing people have come together to help us complete a project that’s estimated to cost $3 million for less than half the price. We’re so grateful they are using their talent to help build a beautiful, imaginative space to showcase the talents of our equally amazing students.