One Rincon Hill is an upscale residential complex on the apex of Rincon Hill in San Francisco,California, United States. The complex, designed by Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates and developed by Urban West Associates, consists of two skyscrapers that share a common town house podium.

The taller tower, One Rincon Hill South Tower, was completed in 2008 and stands 60 stories and 641 feet (195 m) tall. The shorter tower, marketed as Tower Two at One Rincon Hill, was completed in 2014 and reaches a height of 541 feet (165 m) with 50 stories. The South Tower contains high-speed elevators with special features for moving residents effectively, and a large water tank designed to help the skyscraper withstand strong winds and earthquakes. Both skyscrapers and the townhomes contain a total of 709 residential units.

The building site, located right next to the western approach of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, formerly contained a clock tower. The clock tower was demolished shortly after the city approved the One Rincon Hill project. Construction of the townhomes and the South Tower lasted from 2005 to 2008, but was stopped for brief periods of time due to seismic concerns and a construction accident. As the South Tower neared completion, it generated controversy concerning view encroachment, high pricing, and architectural style.

The complex is on a 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) parcel on the apex of the Rincon Hill neighborhood.The site is bounded by Harrison Street to the west, the Fremont Street exit ramp to the north, the approach to the Bay Bridge (Interstate 80) on the east, and the 1st Street entrance ramp to the south

Developer and architect

Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates, a Chicago architectural firm, designed the complex. The developer of this complex is Urban West Associates, headed by Mike Kriozere. The developer’s headquarters are in San Diego, although all its highrise projects over 14 stories are in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Rincon Hill complex is the developer’s second project in San Francisco, with the first being ONE Embarcadero South, a residential complex near One Rincon Hill and across from AT&T Park.According to the developer the total cost of the Rincon Hill project was US$290 million, rising to over US$310 million in 2009.

Architecture

The complex consists of two buildings joined together at the base by a row of town homes. The South Tower and North Tower rise 641 ft (195 m) and 541 ft (165 m) above the corner of Fremont and Harrison streets, respectively. The North Tower has 50 floors, while the South Tower has 60. Because of the sloped Rincon Hill site, the South Tower’s lobby floor or the 1st Street entrance is on the sixth floor, and the first floor is five levels underground from the 1st Street entrance. It is also one of the tallest all-residential towers west of the Mississippi River.Its location near the apex of Rincon Hill, at an elevation of over 100 feet (30 m),gives it an apparent height of well over 700 feet (210 m), making it one of the biggest additions to the San Francisco skyline in over 30 years.

Both the north tower and the south tower of the Rincon Hill complex bear a resemblance to The Heritage at Millennium Park in Chicago, a building of a similar height to the south tower also designed by Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates. The architectural style for both buildings of the Rincon Hill complex islate-modernist. The three sides of the South Tower facing southeast, northeast, and northwest have a linear glass curtain wall.The North Tower has a similar design, except it is shorter and the curved aluminum and glass side faces northeast.Both skyscrapers of the Rincon Hill project contain an oval-shaped crown housing mechanical equipment.

The crown of the South Tower contains a band of 25 LED floodlights that remain lit all night. Each LED light consumes little energy and has a lifetime of 40,000 hours. These lights are used to signal the weather, just like the lights on the John Hancock Tower in Boston. The crown glows red if warmer weather is in the forecast. A blue crown signifies that cold weather is expected soon. Green means that there is at least a 50 percent chance of rain. Amber indicates that the weather will remain unchanged. This is the San Francisco Bay Area’s first weather beacon. The crown began lighting up on December 8, 2008.

With condo prices set from US$500,000 to US$2,000,000, many critics have noted that the One Rincon Hill complex is too expensive for most San Franciscans. With the total initial development cost of US$290 million, the average development cost per unit with 709 units total is approximately US$409,000. However, the developer Urban West Associates has contributed a total of US$38.5 million to funds like the South of Market Community Stabilization Fund in order to address this concern.

One Rincon Hill’s second tower features:

• The 299 units include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, ranging from approximately 613 square feet for a junior one-bedroom to approximately 3,214 square feet for three-bedroom plus den penthouses.
• Approximately 60 percent of Phase II unit floor plans are the same as in Phase I. Phase II will combine the two adjacent small one-bedroom units at the center of the building curve above floor 25 into one two-bedroom unit. The number of two-bedroom units will increase and the number of one-bedroom units will correspondingly be reduced. Like the first tower, the second tower units will feature spectacular views of the city and bay from panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows and extra-large balconies.
• The weather beacon lights on Phase I will be mimicked on the new tower, offering a view to a much greater expanse of the city.
• Significant new features in the Phase II building will include a 3,600-square-foot fitness center on the plaza level and a 4,000-square-foot penthouse “Sky Lounge” on the 49th floor. (As comparison, current Phase I amenities include a plaza level 750-square-foot exercise room and a 1,100-square-foot hospitality room). All amenities, including the existing plaza level podium with swimming pool, reflecting pool and sundeck, as well as the elegant parking facility with valet parking, will be available to occupants of both towers.

Phase II will be offered as rental apartments, with condo mapping allowing for making units for sale at a future date. The core project team for Phase II remains as it was for Phase I, including architecture by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and structural engineering by Magnusson Klemencic Associates; however, the new general contractor is Webcor. A construction loan has been provided by Pacific Life Insurance Company.

As with the $24 million in fees paid for Phase I, the developer will pay a fee to the city in-lieu of including any Below Market Rate (BMR) units. In addition to the approximately $15.1 million BMR fee for Phase II, the city also will collect an estimated $4 million Rincon Hill Infrastructure Impact Fee, a $5.1 million SOMA Stabilization Fund Fee, and a School Fee of about $1 million.

One Rincon Hill is situated in the heart of one of San Francisco’s fastest-growing and most vibrant neighborhoods. One of the city’s oldest sections, the SoMa District experienced conversions of warehouses to lofts in the 1980’s, the opening of AT&T Park in 2000, and most recently, new condo developments with thousands of new residents. Today, SoMa is at the center of the latest technology boom, where trendy restaurants, bars, boutiques and the proximity of the waterfront make this a great location to live, work and play. One Rincon Hill is also just two blocks from the MUNI F line, and offers convenient access to major freeways connecting east to Oakland across the Bay Bridge, and south via Hwy. 101 and I-280 to San Francisco International Airport, the Peninsula, Silicon Valley and beyond.

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