140 New Montgomery is an art deco skyscraper completed in 1925 that was home for the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company for 80 years. The property recently underwent extensive renovations and revitalizations to make it an energy efficient office tower that meets the demands of technology businesses in San Francisco. Perkins+Will lead the eco renovations for the owners, Stockbridge Capital Group, and the developers, Wilson Meany with tenants from the Bay Area that include Yelp, Lumosity and Knoll. “We are humbled to be a part of this historic and important project,” said Cathy Simon, AIA, LEED AP, Principal for Perkins+Will. “It has been an honor to work on the revitalization of one of San Francisco’s most celebrated buildings. The building has a great story and we are excited to introduce new design elements while honoring the rich history and architectural detail of this landmark.”
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One of the key strategies in the renovation of the historic building was to retain and restore the art deco details, including the opulent lobby, doors and other decor elements throughout the tower. A former service courtyard was transformed into a rooftop garden for employees to use and for restaurants to spill out onto. The building features extensive bike parking and showers for commuters, as well as a bike repair station built inside a former wood-paneled boardroom. New energy efficient and operable windows replace the original ones, and a historic central staircase was restored to encourage employees to take the stairs.
Operable windows, natural ventilation, daylighting, high performance mechanical systems, and an advanced building control system ensures the building minimizes energy use and maximizes employee comfort. Overall, the tower achieved LEED Gold certification for Core & Shell and sets up each office space to achieve LEED Platinum Interior certification based upon tenants goals if they desire. Sub-meters for each tenant encourage further energy efficiency and eventually reclaimed water will be recycled to reduce water usage. The project is 90 percent leased, which speaks to the building’s historic charms, rich history, improved sustainable and its innovative renovation.
Images ©Tim Griffith, John Sutton and 140 New Montgomery
