37.7867, −122.4111 A locator map appears here once a Mapbox token is configured.
Know This Place

District 3 · Block 0316, Lot 013 · ZIP 94102

Cliff Hotel

491–499 Geary Street · Tenderloin

  • 17 stories
  • 271,387 ft2
  • 18,905 ft2 lot area
  • 405 rooms
  • 403 bathrooms
  • Zoned C3G
  • Historic resource
  • Sold December 15, 2006
Land$61,493,991
Improvements$40,995,993
Total assessed$102,489,984
37.7867, −122.4111 Street View appears here once a Google Maps embed key is configured.
  1. January 27, 1912

    The Clift Hotel was announced for this corner: a fireproof hotel in the Italian Renaissance style on an 87 by 112 ft lot, estimated at $300,000, designed by MacDonald & Applegarth.

    The San Francisco Call, 27 January 1912, p. 18
  2. 1913

    Built.

  3. 1913

    Cliff Hotel, designed by George Adrian Applegarth.

    Architecture, Planning & Preservation Professionals: A Collection of Biographies, adopted 2021
  4. 1984

    Known as the Clift Hotel; it was among the rated buildings of the city's Downtown Plan inventory.

    San Francisco Department of City Planning, The Downtown Plan: Environmental Impact Report, Draft, 1984.
  5. May 2000
    Permit 200005170194 $$$ $3,500,000

    Replacing partition in 48 double rooms to return to single rooms ar originally built.

  6. Jul 2000
    Permit 200007215815 $$$ $1,200,000

    Remodel of 1st floor & lobby mezzanine, minor structural.

  7. Jul 2016
    Permit 201607283637 $$$ $300,000

    Replace existing fans with new, note: weight of new "fan coil "not to exceed weight of existing "fan coil" maher na.

  8. Oct 2018
    Permit 201810163363 $$$ $2,500,000

    Facade restoration & roof replacement. ** maher: n/a **.

  9. Oct 2018
    Permit 201810163362 $$$ $125,000

    13th fl - model guestrooms on level 13, model two rooms.

  10. Nov 2018
    Permit 201811307127 $$$ $750,000

    Renovations to the existing clift hotel. to include enclosure of the roof level & spanish suite terrace per city legislation file no 161068 determine occupant load for assembly space.

  11. Apr 2019
    Permit 201904248784 $$$ $22,000,000

    Floors 2-17; renovation of existing guestroom & floor corridors.**maher n/a**.

  12. Apr 2019
    Permit 201904258919 $$$ $5,000,000

    Renovations to existing clift hotel to incl new finishes & opening lobby walls to mezzanine & new lobby restrooms.

  13. Sep 2019
    Permit 201909262766 $$$ $35,295

    Fire sprinkler ti - 109 pendents heads replaced, 6 pendents relocated, 6 pemdents added 14 deleted pendents, 27 sidewalls replace, 26 sidewalls relocate, 8 sidewall added 181 head total ref 201904248784.

  14. Oct 2019
    Permit 201910104132 $$$ $700,000

    Tenant improvement for gr fl cafe in existing hotel with occupant load.

  15. Oct 2019
    Permit 201910104156 $$$ $94,936

    Fire sprinkler ti: replace 176 pendent & 76 sidewall, relocate 9 pendent and 51 side wall, add 3 pendent and 25 sidewall, 30 pendent deleted, 341 head total. ref permit #201904248784.

  16. Oct 2019
    Permit 201910215009 $$$ $117,535

    Fire sprinkler ti - replace 230 pendent and 84 sidewall heads. relocate 14 pendent and 74 sidewall heads, add 5 pendent and 36 sidewall heads, 45 pendent heads deleted total 443 heads ref pa 2019-0424-8784.

  17. Nov 2019
    Permit 201911217882 $$$ $126,000

    Replacement of existing field devices with new devices to 1st & mezz fl only. minor floor plan changes to meet current code. no changes to existing services of ops.

  18. May 2021
    Filed Permit 202105180539 $$$ $1,100,000

    Renovations to the existing clift hotel (type 1, article 11 building) to include a new main entry marquee. 1. add an open building marquee over the existing sidewalk along geary street.

  19. Nov 2023
    Permit 202311019919 $$$ $267,450

    Replace 2 existing rooftop cooling towers with new cooling towers & basin sweep filter, replace 1 existing basement condeser water pump serving ch-1 chiller with new condenser water pump, install new condenser water pump serving basement water source heat pumps.

  20. Dec 2025
    Issued Permit 202512172018 $$$ $250,000

    Exterior facade repair & stabilization, includes in kind replacement of brick (deteriorated), limted repoint, and discreet anchorage of localized masonry walls. all material to match existing and to follow secretary of interiors standards for rehabilitation.

DBI holds 98 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 98. 7 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 9 expired or cancelled permits are not shown.

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