870–898 Market Street

1. 1904

   The Flood Building, designed by architect Albert Pissis.

   Architecture, Planning & Preservation Professionals: A Collection of Biographies, adopted 2021
2. 1906

   The building burned in the fire, the damage concentrated on the two lower floors of shops; the brick infill of its steel frame is credited with saving it, though girders buckled and sandstone cracked.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
3. September 29, 1906

   A. G. Worker, N. B. Short Company, Standard Electrical Construction Company, G. V. Daniels, Fred P. Fisher, McGowan & Butler, Wm. F. Wilson Company and C. C. Morehouse contracted for reconstruction work on the James Flood building.

   The San Francisco Call, 29 September 1906, p. 15
4. 1907

   Built.

5. 1907

   The building was renovated after the fire.

   SF Planning, landmark designation
6. April 7, 1907

   L. & E. Emanuel contracted for counters, cabinets, cases, mirrors and iron grill work in the first-floor lobby on the Flood building for the Denson News Company, at $3,500.

   The San Francisco Call, 7 April 1907, p. 59
7. April 15, 1911

   A store in the James Flood Building, let by the Southern Pacific Company for five years. Site as recorded: James Flood Building, 73 Ellis Street.

   The San Francisco Call, 15 April 1911, p. 23
8. July 22, 1911

   A jeweller fitted out a new store in the Flood Building in mahogany, marble and art glass, with a diamond room and a jewellery workshop on the mezzanine, on a seven-year lease at $800 a month rising to $900. Site as recorded: Flood Building, 888 Market Street.

   The San Francisco Call, 22 July 1911, p. 17
9. November 25, 1911

   A store in the Flood Building with a 23-foot front, formerly occupied by the Rock Island railroad, taken for five years by Gould, Sullivan & Co. as a cloak and suit store. Site as recorded: Flood Building, 882 Market Street.

   The San Francisco Call, 25 November 1911, p. 18
10. 1917

    The acting Russian consulate had an office in the Flood Building here from 1917 until the consulate nominally closed in November 1924.

    Nina Bogdan, Russian American Historic Context Statement, San Francisco Planning Department, adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission October 15, 2025
11. 1925

    Russian émigré doctors kept surgeries in the Flood Building here in 1925, and the acting Russian consulate had an office in the building from 1917.

    Nina Bogdan, Russian American Historic Context Statement, San Francisco Planning Department, adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission October 15, 2025
12. 1953

    Woolworth's took the ground-floor retail space, earlier home of Tait's Cafe and the Portola-Louvre Cafe.

    SF Planning, landmark designation
13. 1982

    Designated San Francisco Landmark No. 154, James Flood Building.

    SF Planning, landmark designation
14. Feb 1988

    Permit 8801610 $$$ $970,000

    Parapet with steel framing.

15. 1990

    Lesbians in the Visual Arts, founded in 1990 to promote lesbian artists through a slide registry and events.

    Donna J. Graves and Shayne E. Watson, Citywide Historic Context Statement for LGBTQ History in San Francisco, San Francisco Planning Department, adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission November 18, 2015
16. Feb 1992

    Permit 9202643 $$$ $400,000

    Removal of non-bearing int. partitions, ceilings, fixtures.

17. Apr 1992

    Permit 9205623 $$$ $6,000,000

    Alt to basemt 1 & 2/f for retail/install elevators/escalator.

18. Apr 1993

    Permit 9306175 $$$ $450,000

    Retail tenant improv/work inc platform/stairs/me/el systems.

19. Apr 1993

    Permit 9306602 $$$ $1,200,000

    Non-struct repairs to building facade-sandstone to be prepared.

20. Feb 1997

    Permit 9703218 $$$ $2,824,000

    Demolition existing interior gap store all new finishes ceilings lights.

21. Nov 1999

    Permit 9923347 $$$ $185,000

    Erect new staircase form basement to ground for code.

22. Dec 1999

    Permit 9926924 $$$ $750,000

    Tenant iprovement to retail area.

23. Apr 2000

    Permit 200004086752 $$$ $150,000

    Fit out basement for retail stockroom and office construct new steel stair to 1/f replace existing elevat.

24. Oct 2006

    Permit 200610266106 $$$ $1,800,000

    Interior non-structural remodel of existing retail store on 1st & 2nd floors.upgrade drinking fountain in basement. fire alarm and sprinkler on separate application.

25. May 2009

    Permit 200905299379 $$$ $178,000

    1st & 2nd fls - new paint, lighting, flooring, removal of shelving with fixed shelving. 2nd floor-mens-new lighting. 2nd floor-kids: new paint on sales wall & upgrading restrooms to comply with handicapped accessibility.

26. Nov 2010

    Permit 201011124799 $$$ $385,000

    Improvement of ground & basement levels with minor repairs & repainting to existing finishes.minor extension of ground floor. updating, repairing & refinishing of floors, updating sales display fixtures, relamping of light fixtures & two non-bearing walls. electrical & plumbing. sprkler under sep permit.

27. Mar 2012

    Permit 201203307216 $$$ $691,200

    Interior t.i. of existing" urban outfitters" retail space. relocation of fitting rooms, reconfiguration of the back of house, addition of bathrooms in the basement. update sales fixtures and lighting.

28. Aug 2016

    Permit 201608155047 $$$ $150,000

    Ground floor: ti- existing retail store, replace cashwraps, fixtures, finishes lighting. no change to exterior, mechanical or fire safety. n/a ordinance #155-13.

29. Sep 2016

    Issued Permit 201609026670 $$$ $470,000

    Replacement of existing water sourced heat pumps that are old/damaged. (see units indicated) at bsmt and 1st floor. n/a maher ord. 155-13.

30. Aug 2021

    Permit 202108055879 $$$ $450,000

    Non-structural interior demolition of former tenant's buildout. retail areas on lower, main and 2nd levels only. demolition of communicating stair from lower to main level; interior demolition of drop and decorative ceiling; interior demolition of stone and tile floors down to concrete slab; interior demolition of non-load.

31. Aug 2026

    Filed Permit 202608046008 $$$ $155,000

    Tenant improvement for 'e' retail store. demolition of interior partition, new fixture, plumbing, mechanical, electrical work. new sales floor fixture.

DBI holds 190 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 190. 14 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 8 expired or cancelled permits are not shown. The assessor's roll gives 1907; this address is recorded as built 1904.