Massive Overhaul Pays Off
The makeover of the 1920s PacBell building required the Wilson Meany team to rethink the entire site from the inside out. All the brain power paid off: 140 New Montgomery is now 90% leased.
Among the challenges, WM's Seth Bland tells us: Removing egregious insertions of PacBell and cutting out obtrusive staircases to create an open layout tech tenants crave. (It makes pratfalls more difficult, but for humor techies have someecards.) The 1,300 original steel, single-pane windows were replaced with energy-efficient, double-hung windows. And bike storage wasn't enough: what tenants wanted was a legitimate "bike spa" with showers and locker room facilities.
Yelp moved its 700 employees from 706 Mission to 140 New Montgomery this fall. Yelp occupies nine floors, or about 110k SF, with 115 SF/person. Its reception area's general store theme honors the fact that many companies using the star-rating service are mom-and-pop shops. Conference rooms have fun names, like Dive Bar or Nail Salon. Doors from the original Art Deco building were recycled back into the project. One perky perk: A barista, who pours some 600 cups of Joe a day (this quarter, it's Fourbarrell Coffee). After 5pm, Yelp's keg area is the most popular spot in the building.
