We’ve never seen an SF institution offered historical landmark status but then reject the offer, but the SF Catholic Archdiocese is fighting a landmark designation for their Noe Valley church featured in the movie Sister Act.
San Francisco businesses and institutions just love to be honored with historic landmark status, because it honors them as “unique and irreplaceable assets to the city,” and it also makes it far more difficult for landlords to demolish or renovate buildings with landmark status. We are not aware of any occasion where a business or institution has been offered landmark status, but rejected the distinction.
Yet we are seeing this now. The Bay Area Reporter has been following the story of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s attempt to landmark several churches and historic buildings in his District 8, particularly before Mayor Daniel Lurie’s “family zoning” upzoning plan kicks in to make those buildings very vulnerable to demolition for redevelopment…