Ghirardelli Square is one of San Francisco’s most treasured landmarks. The entire block of property was purchased in 1893 to host the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Ghirardelli Square houses a total of 6 buildings: Cocoa Building, Chocolate Building, Mustard Building, Apartment Building, Power House, and the Clock Tower. Two prominent San Franciscans purchased the entire property in the 1960s, and introduced a new marketing method by evolving the old chocolate factory into a lovely brick-terraced courtyard of shops and restaurants. In November 1964, Ghirardelli Square opened, and it is considered the country’s first successful adaptive reuse project. To ensure its preservation for future generations, Ghirardelli Square was granted National Historic Register status in 1982.

Hornberger + Worstell, Inc. (Lead Architect) designed the planned renovation of four of the buildings and a hotel project at the existing Ghirardelli Square. The Architect retained MCA to provide overall review and design development services and to create Construction Documents. These included plans, elevations, sections, and details pertinent to roofing and waterproofing design, recommendations, and issues, including water damage remediation for exterior and below-grade areas. In addition, MCA performed water testing for 3 types of windows at the South elevation of the Cocoa and Clock Tower Buildings.

Location

San Francisco

Project Type

Remedial Architecture, Construction Documents, Historic Preservation, Peer Review, Construction Contract Administration, Field Quality Control Testing

Client

Hornberger + Worstell, Inc.

Project Status

Completed 2007