BRIDGE Housing at 25

Posted on December 17th, 2009 by Sally B. Woodbridge
Architecture, Urban Planning |

PARKVIEW COMMONS, 1990

Like Holloway Terrace (discussed previously), Parkview Commons, developed by Bridge Housing, Inc., provides low and moderate income families the opportunity for first-time home ownership. The 114 units were classified as permanently affordable, meaning that their price cannot change in response to changing real estate markets.

Located in the Haight/Ashbury district and designed by David Baker + Partners with landscaping by OMI Lang, the project was completed in 1990.

Parkview Commons occupies the site of the former San Francisco Polytechnic High School. Although most of the school buildings were demolished, the gymnasiums were preserved in response to public action and converted to recreational uses.

As shown in the site plan, the 2.6-acre site bounded by Arguello Blvd and Carl, Frederick and Willard Sts., has two east-west service streets lined with private garages. A curved pedestrian walkway also cuts through the property.

Multi-unit flats, including those for the handicapped, face the streets

Mid-block cottages are entered from interior courts.

Most of the dwellings have one or two bedrooms, but seventy-two have three or four bedrooms.

The buildings follow the hillside, stepping down the slope from Carl to Frederick Street.

The buildings follow the hillside, steping down the slope from Carl to Frederick Street.

All photos on this page are under the Creative Commons License.

Circulation is provided by north-south stairways that cross landscaped interior courtyards. One courtyard has a small playground located next to one of the two gymnasiums that were preserved when the site was cleared.

Parkview Commons is a striking example of how well designed site-planning can contribute to the quality of dense urban neighborhoods. Both the landscaping and the variety of buildings create the ambiance of a hillside village without disrupting the area’s existing character.

Pages: 1 2 3 4