Warehouse Nouveau: Life in an Old Factory Looking Good

It’s not that I wasn’t aware of this San Francisco neighborhood. People just don’t really talk much about it. I guess it used to be sketchy, and it’s still full of warehouses and empty streets, which turns off some people. And we only looked at one horribly depressing condo back during our house-hunting binge, so I’d kind of written off the whole ‘hood.

But despite all that, I still find Potrero Hill to be amazing. Every time we drive through it, I have to say something: “It’s just so amazing here.” “I love this architecture.” “My dream is to live in one of these converted warehouses.” “Look at all these amazing restaurants!” And so on, until M is forced to tell me to please keep my trap shut about the goddamn neighborhood.

During one of these contentious drives, we happened across this stunner of a condo building:

Well hello, gorgeous.

They call this happy place Union. The big windows, the high ceilings, the thick walls and floors drowning out all noise…it’s the perfect fantasy for a girl living in a creeky old Victorian. I know I said this was my dream house, but after my recent interview with a pair of new homeowners drowning in home repairs and construction–stay tuned for the riveting post on that!–I’ve got a whole new appreciation for condos.

I did my best to contain my excitement, and after a few days I was able to convince M to tour the building with me.

I’ll let my hackjob iphone photos do the talking:

This ground-level condo has an external entrance, which normally weirds me out, but it somehow works here.

That's a cement column in the corner - I kinda dug the industrial remnants sprinkled throughout.

I coudn't get a great photo of the huge bathtub, but rest assured it was palatial.

Living room with a cement accent.

So the condo building has two sections: the brick converted industrial warehouse, and the new construction annex. The photos you saw are of the new section. Here’s the brick part:

They call this the den.

The master bedrooms have a balcony with a stunning view.

The view.

On to the stats. Each of the condos has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The ones in the new section have a larger living space and a more sensical layout, but they’re also more expensive. The condos in the brick section are priced in the high $700s, and the condos in the new section are in the $800s. The condos come with 2 parking spaces, and HOA dues are around $500. Oh! And the building is FHA-approved, so you don’t need to put a ton down (though 20% is the responsible number).

You can see the remaining units on Redfin: #301, #302, #304, #308, #110.