Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 1 TO: FROM: SF Board of Appeals Steve Allen, Stanton Architecture DATE: 1/26/2017 PROJECT: 501 Geary Street REFERENCE: Appeals Brief (Building Permit # 2015-0810-3763) To the Board of Appeals, We would like to formally present to you our appeal of the San Francisco Planning Department's disapproval of the proposal to modify an existing hotel blade sign at 501 Geary Street. SIGN LOCATION MAP (Figure 1) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 2 This site has existed as a hotel since its completion in 1908 as the Bellevue Hotel and as the Hotel Monaco following a major restoration and renovation in 1995. As a Significant Building on the National Register, the Hotel is representative of the historic hotel district and the prominent blade sign has been an important identifying feature of the hotel since its inception. ORIGINAL BLADE SIGN. AUGUST 21 ST, 1964 (Figure 2) SOURCE: SAN FRANCISCO LIBRARY http://sflib1.org:82/record=b1006958 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 3 This blade sign, hanging at the intersection of Geary and Taylor Street which previously said 'Hotel Bellevue,' was modified in 1995 following the hotel's name change to the 'Hotel Monaco'. This change to the sign was properly permitted and approved at the time, following the SF Planning Department's signage guidelines. MODIFIED BLADE SIGN, PERMITTED IN 1995 (Figure 3) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 4 RECORD DRAWING OF APPROVED SIGN PERMIT (05/31/1995) (Figure 4) PERMIT #9505366 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 5 RECORD DRAWING OF APPROVED SIGN PERMIT (05/31/1995) (Figure 5) PERMIT #9505366 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 6 The Hotel Monaco had a recent change in flag and management in 2016 and after a substantial interior retrofit and renovation, the hotel name was changed to the Hotel Marker. Following this name change, it was the owner's intent to paint and reletter the existing 1995 blade sign. This currently existing sign is not in accordance with the Planning Department's latest guidelines on signs in an Article 11 Conservation Districts, however the sign permit followed all of the signage requirements at the time of its installation. The building permit submitted to the Planning Department proposes to re-paint the sign to black and white and re-letter 'Monaco' to be 'Marker'. 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017501 GEARY ST 7 PROPOSED HOTEL SIGNAGE (Figure 6) STREET VIEW FROM GEARY BLVD (Figure 7) STREET VIEW FROM TAYLOR ST (Figure 8) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 8 SIGNAGE COMPARISON DIAGRAM (Figure 9) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 9 Additionally, while this existing sign is not a currently approved design per the San Francisco Planning Department, it matches the character of the Historic District since many hotels in the area also have blade signs of similar size and shape in the immediate surroundings. These blade signs historically were an integral part of a hotel's presence which is why so many iconic signs still remain in the area. SIMILAR HOTEL BLADE SIGNS IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT (Figure10) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017501 GEARY ST 10 Similar hotels such as the Serrano Hotel, Columbia Hotel and The Warwick, to name a few in a one block radius from 501 Geary also have iconic blade signs that have been grandfatheredd in much like the 1995 Hotel Monaco sign. SERRANO HOTEL COLUMBIA HOTEL ENLARGED SIGN PHOTOS (Figure 11) WARWICK SF 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Appeals Brief 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 11 We would like to appeal the disapproval of the sign modification permit on the grounds that the existing sign location, placement, size and material will remain as is, as it was permitted in 1995. While it is not currently an approved design per the SF Planning Department signage guidelines, it is an existing feature that will be minimally modified to reflect the Hotel's new branding and new management. This blade sign has existed since at least 1964 and it is a critical element to the character and aesthetic of this historic hotel. The design proposes to keep it and preserve it while updating it to fit with the upgraded image of the hotel. The client would be open to the option of changing the proposed sign colors and using halo-lit letters if that would enable the sign to remain with the new name. We would like to request that the Board of Appeals overturn the Planning Department's denial of this permit in order to authorize the minor modifications to the blade sign that we have proposed. Thank you for your attention. Sincerely, Steve Allen 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Stanton Architecture 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 1 EXHIBITS EXHIBIT A: Planning Department's Disapproval (Page 1) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Stanton Architecture 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 2 EXHIBIT A: Planning Department's Disapproval (Page 2) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Stanton Architecture 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 3 EXHIBIT A: Planning Department's Disapproval (Page 3) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608

Stanton Architecture 2/15/2017 501 GEARY ST 4 EXHIBIT A: Planning Department's Disapproval (Page 4) 1501 Mariposa Street, Suite 328, San Francisco, CA 94107 T: 415 865 9600 stantonarchitecture.com F: 415 865 9608