Score 1 for DT Retail:53 Days and Counting

53 DAYS AND COUNTING Construction crews hurrying to finish work on expanded Westfield San Francisco Centre - Pia Sarkar, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, August 6, 2006 The elegant rotunda of the expanded Westfield San Francisco Centre is the domain of construction workers and heavy tools in the weeks leading up to its grand opening on Sept. 28. Chronicle photo by Lea Suzuki Construction on the Westfield San Francisco Centre on Market Street is entering its final weeks, with workers frantically putting together the last pieces of the project in time for opening day on Sept. 28. Ninety-five percent of the retail space has been leased to tenants, according to Maureen Collins, development marketing director for Westfield. Upon completion, the shopping center will total 1.5 million square feet -- triple its original size. Market Street Facade Mission Street Facade San Francisco State University will rent 107,125 square feet of office space on the sixth floor and part of the fifth, which will be devoted to its business programs, continuing education and community outreach. Westfield has not announced any tenants for the remaining 137,875 square feet of office space, which occupy the fifth, seventh and eighth floors. Westfield, in partnership with Forest City Enterprises, began construction on the $440 million project in November 2003. The final product will be one of Westfield's signature shopping centers. The Australian company operates 128 shopping centers in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Allyn Cook of Burlingame works on a panel under the old Emporium dome. Westfield hopes the workers will be replaced by crowds of shoppers in a few weeks. Chronicle photo by Lea Suzuki On a recent tour of the San Francisco Centre, workers raced around the building, with power tools constantly buzzing in the background. Sunlight seeped through the fully-restored 19th century dome of the old Emporium building, which can be seen from the fourth floor up. The 102-foot-wide steel and glass dome is the centerpiece of project, which preservationists had fought to keep. Restoration focused on thousands of elements, such as the galvanized metal windows overhead, historic ornamental plaster between the base of the lunette windows and an exterior galvanized metal structural rib covering. More than 900 lights have been restored in the dome to reflect original designs. Sunlight floods the interior of the San Francisco Centre, three times larger than its original space. Chronicle photo by Lea Suzuki New stores in the expanded shopping center are still outlined in metal framing, and no merchandise has been moved inside. The only thing that gives away the stores' identities are generic black and white signs hanging in each entryway. 'Get er done' Power cords snake across floors that have been covered with paper to protect the newly installed limestone and granite tiles underneath. Caution tape cordons off fresh cement still drying. In the back elevator used by construction workers, a wooden plank is nailed to the wall with a countdown of how many days left to finish the project, along with the motivational words, "Get er done." Collins said each tenant inside the expanded center has its own construction crew, but all must have their stores set up by opening day. As of now, the project is on schedule, she said. Tom Roach, owner of Tom's Cookies, will open a 472-square-foot store inside the mall and said he is looking forward to moving into the old Emporium building, where he used to go as a child to see Santa Claus during the holidays. "To me, it's like coming home again, because that building holds a special place in my heart," said Roach, who has been operating his business in the Macy's food court in Union Square since 1993. Notara Lum, general manager for Kozo Arts, a book bindery, said the shopping center will give her business more exposure than her current location on Union Street. "Here on Union, we get some tourists and neighborhood locals," Lum said, "but we want the whole Bay Area to see us." The old Emporium dome is reflected on a floor design outside the original facade, as well as signs throughout the complex. Chronicle photo by Lea Suzuki Bloomingdale's will be the shopping center's largest tenant, occupying 357,000 square feet and making it the chain's second-biggest store in the country, behind its flagship store in New York. A spokeswoman said it is 85 percent complete, with some of the exterior signs already in place. Construction crews are installing showcases and back islands for the jewelry room. They will then install 70 vendor shops. Nordstrom nearby The existing Nordstrom store, measuring 312,000 square feet, will serve as the shopping center's co-anchor. No renovations are planned for that store. Among the other big tenants are a nine-screen Century Theatre, a 30,000-square-foot Bristol Farms gourmet market, a 20,000-square-foot Borders bookstore, a 16,000-foot Burke Williams day spa and an 11,000-square-foot Adidas outlet. A handful of stores inside the existing mall, including Bebe, J.Crew and Aldo, plan to move over to the new space when it opens. Westfield has already backfilled those vacancies with tenants, who will open their stores in January, Collins said. New ideas Some retailers are using the expansion to introduce new concepts. For instance, Gap will open its first Forth & Towne store in San Francisco, aimed at women 35 and older; Bebe will open Bebe Sport and Neda; Abercrombie & Fitch will open Ruehl and Hollister; Gymboree will open Janie & Jack; and American Eagle will open Martin + Osa. Walkways on the concourse and the first four floors will link the new shopping center with the current one. Shoppers will be able to enter the megamall on Market, Fifth and Mission streets. There will be an additional entrance into the expanded space for BART and Muni riders. Westfield San Francisco Centre -- What: A $440 million retail-office-entertainment complex in downtown San Francisco -- Who: Developed by Westfield of Australia, in partnership with Forest City Enterprises -- When: Opens Sept. 28 A piece of wood in an elevator marks the countdown to completion of construction on the Westfield San Francisco Centre. Chronicle photo by Lea Suzuki >