Forge JV Begins San Francisco Adaptive Reuse Project

450 O’Farrell St. Image courtesy of Forge Development Partners

Forge Development Partners and Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist have partnered for the adaptive reuse conversion of 450 O’Farrell St. in San Francisco. The partnership is transforming the church project into a 310-unit mixed-use multifamily community. 

The 13-story building will be designed by Gensler and provide housing for the middle-income workforce. Forge Development Partners will be managing the community. The conversion will keep the 10,000-square-foot worship space and create a Christian Science Reading Room that will be open to the public for prayer and study. Additionally, the property will include 5,000 square feet of retail space and reuse some of the church’s architectural structures. 

450 O’Farrell will offer residents units that can house up to four people, featuring a private bathroom and kitchen. Amenities will include roof decks and interior courtyards. The community will also feature new sidewalks and greenery surrounding the area. 

According to the developer, the previously approved project plan was to develop luxury apartments. This new project plan serves the workforce and creates more units than the original plan.

Previous Reuse Plan

According to the previous plan developer, Thompson Dorfman, the $150 million budgeted development included a 13-story building with 176-units designed by  Kwan Henmi Architecture. 

Using the three parcels of land owned by Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist the project included a 3,770-square-foot ground-floor retail level, 9,555-square-foot new worship space, reading room, offices and classrooms, according to the San Francisco Business Times. 

According to the San Francisco Business Times, the San Francisco Heritage filed an appeal against the project because the plan would demolish historical resources. 

Last year, Gensler took a part in the $1 billion development of Metropolis in downtown Los Angeles.