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37.7867, −122.4017 A locator map appears here once a Mapbox token is configured.

678 Mission Street

Financial District South · San Francisco, CA 94105

  • Built 1922
  • Commercial
  • 2 stories
  • New Montgomery-Mission-Second Street Conservation District
37.7867, −122.4017 Street View appears here once a Google Maps embed key is configured.
16,310 sq ftBuilding area
6,695 sq ftLot area
29Rooms
  1. Jan 1847

    Acting Alcalde Hyde granted Jasper O'Farrell's petition for a 100-vara lot on the north side of Mission Street, between 100-vara grants to Col. John C. Fremont and Alcalde Washington Bartlett.

    The Argonaut, vol. 32 no. 1, Summer 2021
  2. Jan 1847

    Jasper O'Farrell petitioned Acting Alcalde Hyde for the grant of the 100-vara lot.

    The Argonaut, vol. 32 no. 1, Summer 2021
  3. 1922

    Architect Andrew H. Knoll designed the two-story Renaissance Revival building on the site, built for the Phoenix Desk and Chair Company.

    SocketSite, August 2020
  4. 1926–1956

    The San Francisco Builders Exchange occupied the building.

    SocketSite, August 2020
  5. 1985

    Hundley Hardware Company's occupancy of the building ended.

    SocketSite, August 2020
  6. Mar 1986

    Parapets braced.

    Complete Permit 8603108 $$$ $15,500
  7. Mar 1990

    New handicap bathrooms; rotted stair and roll-up gate replaced.

    Complete Permit 9005859 $$$ $30,000
  8. Jun 1990

    Fire sprinkler system installed in the basement.

    Expired Permit 9011343 $$$ $9,800
  9. May 1993

    The California Historical Society purchased the building for $2 million and made it its headquarters, converting the basement under the Mission Street sidewalk into climate-controlled collection storage and adding seismic upgrades, a public research library, exhibition galleries and a bookstore.

    SocketSite, August 2020
  10. 2001

    The California Historical Society sold the parcel's transferable development rights, which limits any future redevelopment to repurposing the existing two-story building rather than building to the site's zoned height.

    SocketSite, August 2020
  11. Jun 2018

    Cellular communication installed for the fire alarm system, a like-for-like replacement under a 2008 state fire marshal bulletin.

    Complete Permit 201806202367 $$$ $13,000
  12. 2024

    The Society sold the building, by then vacated, for about $6.7 million to a limited liability company affiliated with the San Francisco Baking Institute.

    KQED, January 2025
  13. Jan 2025

    The California Historical Society announced its permanent closure and the transfer of its collection to Stanford University, which holds it as the California History Collection.

    KQED, January 2025

DBI files all permits on this parcel under 666 Mission Street.

Not yet documented: the building's use since its 2024 sale, and what became of the two 100-vara lots the Argonaut names on either side of O'Farrell's grant. Submit an update