Move, lift, restore: Repurposing a former post office near San Francisco

In mid-February, a construction crew began lifting a 1940s post office building located in Burlingame, Calif., on the San Francisco Peninsula. The crew moved the 1,010-ton structure about 120 feet away so that a new underground parking garage can be built directly beneath the post office’s historic site, while a new office and retail development, 220 Park Road, will be built above it.

Post Office Reconstruction — Reconstruction began on a 1940 building in February.

In 2023, after undergoing restoration, the post office will be moved back to its former site, where it will be integrated into the new office and retail building, designed by KSH Architects. It will then have a second life as a ground-floor restaurant space at the base of the 220 Park Road office and retail development.

As the preservation architect, Page & Turnbull collaborated with KSH Architects and general contractor Garden City Construction to safely move the structure. The new development is a joint venture of Sares Regis Group of Northern California and Dostart Development Company.

“This post office is part of the historic fabric of the city of Burlingame, and we are honored to help ensure the preservation and adaptation of this public treasure,” says architect Ruth Todd, principal of Page & Turnbull, and the project’s preservation leader, in a statement.

Garden City Construction is joined by construction manager Devcon Construction, structural engineer IMEG, and civil engineer BKF. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering is performed, respectively, by Silicon Valley Mechanical, Rex Moore, and KDS Plumbing.

The project broke ground in September. When it’s complete, the long-vacant, 1.3-acre lot in the center of downtown Burlingame will be home to 185,000 square feet of new office and retail space. The repurposed post office then will open onto the new adjacent Burlingame Town Square, scheduled to begin construction right after the completion of 220 Park.

At an estimated budget of $1 billion, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is considered the largest museum in the world dedicated to one civilization. The superlatives don’t end there: It’s also the largest museum in Egypt, the largest Pharaonic museum in the world, and one of the world’s leading scientific, historical, and archeological study centers.

Projects | Mar 2, 2022

Manufacturing plant gets second life as a mixed-use development

Wire Park, a mixed-use development being built near Athens, Ga., will feature 130 residential units plus 225,000 square feet of commercial, office, and retail space. About an hour east of downtown Atlanta, the 66-acre development also will boast expansive public greenspace.

Higher Education | Mar 1, 2022

SRG Partnership designs a nautically inspired space for maritime science

A community college in Oregon has begun construction on a new building devoted to maritime science. With it, the school hopes to solidify its position as a major industrial and marine technology center in the Pacific Northwest.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 24, 2022

First new, mixed-use high-rise in Detroit’s central business district in nearly 30 years opens

City Club Apartments completed two multifamily projects in 2021 in downtown Detroit including the first new, mixed-use high-rise in Detroit’s central business district in nearly 30 years.

Office Buildings | Feb 23, 2022

The Beam on Farmer, Arizona’s first mass timber, multi-story office building tops out

The Beam on Farmer, Arizona’s first mass timber, multi-story office building, topped out on Feb. 10, 2022.

Projects | Feb 22, 2022

New Medpace headquarters tower supports wellness culture

The new 263,000 sf, seven-story global headquarters of Medpace, an organization conducting global clinical research for the development of medical therapeutics and devices, reflects its active wellness culture.