Save the Bluepeter Building from Demolition!
This two-story wooden building at 555 Illinois Street has a vaulted roof was built around 1940 for maritime use. It was later owned by the CF Hendry company, a ship chandlery business. When built, it had direct access to the bay; access was later lost in one of the last bay filling operations. Around 1955 the rear of the building was notched out to preserve the building when the street now known as Terry Francoise Blvd. was constructed. The Bluepeter Company, by which name the buidling is now known, was an exhibit design company.
Latest News and Information:
In October 2009, the Friends of the Bluepeter received an Economic Feasibility Report, prepared by Equity Community Builders (ECB). Founded in 1994, ECB is a San Francisco based real estate developer and project manager that specializes in in-fill residential, commercial, and historic rehabilitation projects in northern California. http://www.ecbsf.com. The report concludes that looking beyond today’s difficult economic times that it seems very reasonable to foresee an economically feasible Bluepeter rehabilitation.
- Information Flyer- Bluepeter in a Nutshell
- Feasibility report about future uses prepared by Equity Community Partners, LLC, September 9, 2009 (pdf)
- Potrero View Newspaper article about community efforts to save the Bluepeter Building
- Report about the history of the Bluepeter Building, June 6, 2009 (pdf)
- Support Letter- please fill out and return (MS Word)
Danger of Demolition
The preservation of the building is threatened: it lies on land within the Mission Bay development that is currently planned for "open space." The building was included in the 2001 San Francisco Planning Dept. Central Waterfront Cultural Resources Survey wherein it is stated "This building has been determined ineligible for National Register or designation under local ordinances, BUT should be given special consideration in local planning." The Mission Bay Plan, completed in 1998, did not benefit from the our knowledge gained through this survey. As one of the last remaining buildings in Mission Bay, and indeed in the Central Waterfront, representing the area's rich history in small boat construction, this building should be preserved if at all possible, and rehabilitated to be used by the citizens of San Francisco and visitors to Mission Bay. Creative re-use of this building could include community meeting space, child care center and food vending, as well as its becoming part of a historic tour which would include Mission Bay, the Central Waterfront and Pier 70.
Help Save It!
Community members see some great possible uses for the building: Read about proposed ideas (pdf) for the site.
If you are interested in helping save the Bluepeter building, please contact us.
Bluepeter Building - Illinois Street
Bluepeter Building from Terry Francoise Blvd.
Bluepeter Building from the south
Inside the Bluepeter Building
A group of people interested in the building were given access to the building on August 22, 2008 by the Port of San Francisco. The group included interested community members, former employees of the Bluepeter Company, and staff members of the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and the Catellus Corporation.