Gibb-Sanborn Warehouse (North Pelican Paper)

1. c. 1855

   Built about 1855 by Daniel Gibb, a Scottish commission merchant of 1849 and president of the Chamber of Commerce, as one of a pair of brick warehouses on filled land at Front and Vallejo — among the few Gold Rush buildings left in the city.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
2. 1864

   Both Gibb warehouses were sold to John Sanborn, whose family kept this one for more than a century.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
3. 1879

   A vault for storing opium, then a legal trade, was built for John Sanborn under the Vallejo Street sidewalk by William Stebbins, at a cost of $4,100.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
4. 1899

   An addition designed by Wright & Sanders was built for $17,650, its contract requiring Folsom granite and brick to match the old building.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
5. 1900

   Built.

6. 1906

   Badly damaged in the 1906 earthquake and fire and rebuilt close to the original within the year, though the side walls lost their pattern of windows and doors.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
7. 1911–1960s

   Tenanted by the C.A. Hutton Flour Company in 1911, then by the Pelican Paper Company from the early 1920s to the late 1960s.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
8. August 16, 1964

   Photographed, showing the Pelican Paper Company.

   San Francisco Subjects Photograph Collection (SFP 162), San Francisco Public Library
9. 1977

   Designated San Francisco Landmark No. 92, Gibb-Sanborn Warehouse (North Pelican Paper).

   SF Planning, landmark designation
10. Mar 1992

    Permit 9203538 $$$ $34,000

    Seismic bracing of parapet wall, tension anchorage of roof.

11. Feb 1997

    Permit 9702570 $$$ $120,000

    Umb.

12. Feb 2002

    Permit 200202058477 $$$ $32,000

    Reroofing.

13. May 2002

    Issued Permit 200205086027 $$$ $20,000

    To renew app#09723861 for final inspection.

14. Sep 2002

    Permit 200209166558 $$$ $40,000

    Tenant improvement include new lunch area, interior doors &windows floor covering&light fixtures.

15. Sep 2008

    Issued Permit 200809252649 $$$ $30,000

    Soft demolition. interior office partitions at lower level 1/2 of 1st floor and 2nd floor. all stairs, elevators base building support rooms, and bathrooms shall remain.

16. Sep 2019

    Permit 201909303020 $$$ $8,000

    2nd fl.: soft demolition of existing t.i. per ab017; remains vacant until accessibility compliance deferred till t.i. to be completed under separate permit.

17. Oct 2019

    Permit 201910013209 $$$ $375,500

    Project scope consists of new t.i. improvements, with mep and minor fire life safety. on 2nd floor. mep deferred.

18. Nov 2019

    Issued Permit 201911157405 $$$ $48,650

    Reroofing - tear off existing b.u.r & install new modified bituman roof over 2815 frp with entire western colloid #720 arc. flat roof, not visible from street.

19. Dec 2021

    Issued Permit 202112073925 $$$ $85,000

    Reconfigure basement office layout, new conferance room, modify kitchen areas, storage, and add lactation room. reconfigure 1st floor office layout. provide new accessible stair. provide new accessible entry door on vallejo street. mep deferred.

20. Oct 2023

    Permit 202310209196 $$$ $42,000

    Addition of accessible restroom in existing gr fl tenant suite.

DBI holds 38 permits for this parcel, most of them tenant improvements on individual floors. The timeline shows the 24 largest by stated cost, plus the earliest on file; the DBI query in the sources below returns all 38. 4 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 14 expired or cancelled permits are not shown. The building is dated c. 1855 in its landmark designation; the assessor's roll gives 1900.