- A View from the Top

A View from the Top
A look inside some of San Francisco's most exclusive properties.
By Marci Risemen

A straight shot south along Third Street finds buyers in Dogpatch: the funky, sunny, nine-square-block historic district adjacent to Potrero Hill. Over the past few years, Dogpatch has been quietly growing its own hip cultural, art, and dining scene. With the HOMES ON ESPRIT PARK, developer Build Inc. has taken the former Esprit headquarters (originally built as Schilling Wine Cellars in 1906), salvaged the historic brick structure and massive Douglas fir timbers, and integrated them into a vibrant collection of 142 eco-friendly, stylishly-appointed lofts, flats, penthouses, and two-level townhomes.

"Our buyers are those looking for a more unique, creative, community-centered environment," says Rob Levy of McGuire Real Estate, Build Inc.'s exclusive marketing partner. Each unit opens onto one of two huge central courtyards featuring a reflecting pool and mature redwood, aspen, and bottleneck trees; most units have private patios, terraces, or rooftop decks.

The project's many environmentally sensitive features appeal to both the eco-savvy and the design-savvy. Luscious materials and features – like reclaimed whiskey-barrel oak flooring, warm-to-the-touch radiant heating, wool Berber carpet, and solid limestone tub surrounds – play warm counterpoint to the cool of sleek, ultra-efficient Liebherr refrigerators, Bosch dishwashers, and Italian Bertazzoni stoves–all of which are standard in every unit.

Nate Appleman, executive chef of A-16, will be opening a 130-seat restaurant and cafe with outdoor seating within the development, adding a new center of commuinity–and definition–to this up-and-coming neighborhood.

Whether you choose downtown or bayside living, high-rise or mid-rise, traditional or eco-chic, San Francisco's new luxury urban lifestyle has something for everyone.