Our latest sweep of Castro area news on new builds, great eats, and boozy celebrations you need to know:
Rendering of 2200 Market-aka 'The Century'-inset with the now long-lost one story Leticia's Thai Restaurant.
The Castro's newest big build over at 2200 Market Street, the first of three building sprouting up at the odd Market/15th/Sanchez Street intersection, has gone into the next phase of construction as its completion target of early next year stands. The condo complex has been swaddled under wraps in a mesh, cocoon sheath so the finished product can be hyped in a much-anticipated reveal like the Icon building did recently up the street.
2200 Market St. in its cocoon of mystery.
The monolith has also been christened by it's developers, 'The Century'. The 5-story, 55-foot tall residential building will contain 22 one and two bedroom condominiums and continue the new model of mixed use ground floor retail space. There is a lot of descriptive realtor babble on the Century's website as Curbed SF points out attempting to lure you in for the buy. Vanguard Property is in charge of sales and they're taking pre-registration now from hopeful would-be owners in this ugly, crushing wave that's engulfing the Castro and San Francisco housing market.
Blackbird Bar, 2124 Market St., is set to celebrate its 4th anniversary on July 28th. In anticipation they'll be shutting down and giving the well-loved booze stand a bit of refreshing in anticipation of the big event. Blackbird is often chosen as one the top spots for drinks and giggles in the Castro in guidebooks like Zagat and local Channel 5, CBS News chose it as one of SF's Best Gay Bars in June of 2013. Congrats on four years of success in the neighborhood to all involved and here's to many more. Stop by on Sunday and tell them in person if you've a mind too.
Current condition of new build at 2175 Market St.
In other new residential building news construction is progressing rapidly diagonally to The Century at 2175 Market Street at the former 76 Gas Station. Crews have been busy digging out foundations and establishing all the infrastructure of the building below the soon to be underground parking lot.
As we've previously reported this will be 88 apartments placed over 44 parking spaces and 6,500 square feet of ground floor retail plus a massive 3,791 square foot rooftop deck. Right now completion is scheduled for end of 2014. As far as we were able to determine no real estate firm has been knighted to carry 2175's units into the current Castro rental and or sale fray.
Chile Pies (credit:
Over at SF Eater they're celebrating 'Greasy Spoon Week' and the Castro came up smelling like a heart clogging, deep-fried rose with coveted slots won in two of their 'Best of SF' lists.
'10 Best Milkshake in SF' saw top honors awarded to both Super Duper Burgers, 2304 Market Street, and Chile Pies (& Ice Cream), 314 Church Street near 15th.
The other hotly contested list was '15 Iconic Greasy Spoons' and we were well repped by snagging one-fifth of the top choices. That's three for those out there suffering from math dyslexia. Both of the 'Stro's infamous, post bar, desperate for food or I may well die, 24/7 diners were included in this list. Sparky's 24 Hour Pizza and Dinner-though only open 5PM to 5AM of late-242 Church at Market and of course the well-loved and diminutive Orphan Andy's, 3991 17th St. at Castro.
It's Tops serving the Castro since 1935 when FDR ruled the world and WWII loomed.
King of the Greasy Hill nod however certainly goes to the reigning neighborhood champ, It's Tops Coffee Shop. Perched at the far reaches of the Castro/Duboce Triangle border at 1801 Market near Octavia this diner has been slinging pancakes, world-wide selections of coffee, snarky comebacks and eggs the way you like them since it first opened in 1935.
Current owners, siblings Bruce and Sheila Chapman, are carrying on the family tradition after buying the place in 1986 from Dad Richard, It's Tops second owner who'd been in charge since the Eisenhower era. If you've never been to It's Tops you really haven't fully experienced a unique and historic taste of San Francisco.
More Castro news as it comes. If you have a tip or have seen something you think we might have overlooked please send it in via our email tip line. We always appreciate it.
Blackbird Bar, 2124 Market St., is set to celebrate its 4th anniversary on July 28th. In anticipation they'll be shutting down and giving the well-loved booze stand a bit of refreshing in anticipation of the big event. Blackbird is often chosen as one the top spots for drinks and giggles in the Castro in guidebooks like Zagat and local Channel 5, CBS News chose it as one of SF's Best Gay Bars in June of 2013. Congrats on four years of success in the neighborhood to all involved and here's to many more. Stop by on Sunday and tell them in person if you've a mind too.
