799 Van Ness Avenue

1. 1917

   Recorded in the city's survey of the Van Ness Avenue automobile corridor as built for use as an auto shop and garage. The survey dates the work to 1917 and 1925. The first story was designed by Willis Polk and Company; the same firm added the second story in 1925, a year after Polk's death. It has profiled cornices, a chamfered corner at Eddy Street and a wooden classical entrance in the cornice. Three businesses at a time in its early years: auto repair shops from 1917, an auto painting shop 1918–1932, and a public garage 1919–1942. Later the whole building was one dealer's service shop.

   Van Ness Auto Row Support Structures survey, adopted 2010
2. 1919

   A public garage ran in the building for 24 years from 1919.

   Van Ness Auto Row Support Structures survey, adopted 2010
3. Feb 1985

   Sign - erect.

   Complete Permit 8501992 $$$ $350
4. Feb 1985

   Sign - erect.

   Complete Permit 8501993 $$$ $350
5. Jul 1991

   Parapet.

   Complete Permit 9112533 $$$ $10,000
6. 2010

   Evaluated in the city's survey of the Van Ness Avenue automobile corridor and given California Register status code 3CS — individually eligible for the California Register, under Criteria 1 and 3.

   Van Ness Auto Row Support Structures survey, adopted 2010
7. Mar 2012

   1st, 2nd floor & basement interior non-structural demolition on 2 floors & basement. no exterior work. no construction work per ab-017.

   Complete Permit 201203266852 $$$ $15,000
8. Apr 2012

   Voluntary seismic strengthening. new shotcrete walls, new steel brace frames and roof diaphram strengthening. work is structural only. no tenant improvement. no ada work per abo17. ada improvements under separate permit.

   Complete Permit 201204279305 $$$ $650,000
9. Jun 2012

   Install new fire sprinkler system for t.i. - 157 fire sprinkler heads in basement, 191 fire srpinkler heads on 1st floor, 158 fire sprinkler heads on 2nd floor. sprinkler monitoring & underground seperate permit.

   Issued Permit 201206132520 $$$ $70,000
10. Jul 2012

    Demolition of existing slab and auto ramps for new elevator, stairs, pedestrial and auto ramps. building is vacant per ab-017. disabled access will not be performed until future permit.

    Complete Permit 201207205365 $$$ $180,310
11. Aug 2012

    Install non-load bearing partitions, doors, ceilings. install new lighting & power on all floors (basmt, 1st & 2nd floor), construction of four (4) new ada bathrooms on all floors (basmt, 1st & 2nd floor). install two (2) new drinking fountains on 2nd floor.

    Complete Permit 201208096937 $$$ $350,000
12. Nov 2012

    Installation of new fire alarm system. ref building permit 201208096937.

    Complete Permit 201211154285 $$$ $31,700
13. Apr 2013

    Install two illuminated projecting logo modle sign.

    Issued Permit 201304225128 $$$ $2,500
14. May 2013

    Erect an electric projecting double faced replacement sign.

    Issued Permit 201305136718 $$$ $3,500
15. Sep 2013

    Erect an electric wall single faced new sign.

    Issued Permit 201309277975 $$$ $13,000
16. May 2015

    Demolition of e non load bearing walls and lights. five offices, 1 storage room, 1 private restroom, new non load bearing partitions, doors, windows, paint. new lighting, mechanical, soft service dept maher not req.

    Complete Permit 201505206745 $$$ $365,000
17. Jul 2015

    Install (6) new heads to accomodate full length wall install, t.i. delete 8 heads. first floor. permit application 201505206745. n/a ordinance #155-13.

    Issued Permit 201507302920 $$$ $4,000
18. Sep 2015

    1st and 2nd floors: fire alarm permit: add 2 horn/strobes, one smoke detector and relocate 2 existing horn/strobes. n/a for maher. ref app#201505206745.

    Complete Permit 201509025916 $$$ $2,500
19. Jan 2016

    To obtain final inspection for work approved under permit application 2013-0422-5128. all work is complete.

    Issued Permit 201601116791 $$$ $2,500
20. Jul 2018

    Shoring of existing concrete beams in order to perform destructive investigation to determine size and layout of existing rebar and structural repair after investrigation. maher n/a.

    Complete Permit 201807255501 $$$ $10,000
21. Feb 2019

    Roof strengthening to support mechanical equipment; retractable skylight, add swimming pool; remove existing concrete gravity columns; demolition/infill of concrete ramp. mechanical & tenant improvement under separate permit.

    Issued Permit 201902011918 $$$ $750,000
22. Feb 2019

    Basement, 1st, 2nd & roof. new renovation of existing building. change of use. new provide fitness center. pool, beauty spa, ancillary, restaurant etc. (mep, life safety, sprinklers, skylights, stairs, structural, guards, demolition under separate permit).structural permit application 2019/02/01/1918 under review.

    Issued Permit 201902132846 $$$ $3,080,000
23. Apr 2019

    Basement, 1st, 2nd & roof. soft demolition including mechanical unit on roof, and interior all floors. maher na. ab-017.

    Issued Permit 201904057233 $$$ $120,000
24. Oct 2019

    Mep for 201902132846 (3 level fitness center with change of occ); on basmt, 1, 2 & roof levels; incl new electrical upgrade from 1000a @ 120/208v to 1200a @ 277/480v, new branch circuit distribution, etc; also incl revisions to 201902011918/r1 (added structural support for mep equpmt on roof).

    Issued Permit 201910083937 $$$ $200,000
25. Dec 2019

    Change of use already approved permit application 2019-0213-2846: scope of work covers pool only.

    Issued Permit 201912230419 $$$ $100,000
26. Mar 2020

    Deferred skylight permit on the roof (change of use under 2019-0213-2846) ref pa 2019-0201-1918 (roof structural), 2019-0213-2846 (main permit), 2019-0405-7233 (sep demolition) 2019-1008-3937 (mep); arch revision to 2019-0213-2846.

    Issued Permit 202003126954 $$$ $1
27. Jun 2026

    Convert 45k sq ft historical building to self storage facility. repair/restore facade w. dept of interior standards for preservation. interior structure improvements with new mechanical & electrical ystem. plumbing for 465 sq ft office space with restroom. exterior single pane glass restore with translucent laminate applied.

    Filed Permit 202606092873 $$$ $3,500,000

DBI holds 33 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 33. 4 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits.