North Beach’s fire-scarred Verdi Building cleared for partial demolition

The fire-scarred Verdi Building has sat across from Washington Square Park in North Beach like a public warning sign: braced, vacant and scarred by fire for years. After repeated delays, the city cleared the way for partial demolition of the building at 659 Union Street, a concrete step toward removing one of the neighborhood’s most visible blight sites.

The emergency demolition plan calls for removal of a 50-foot section of the rear brick wall, a targeted teardown meant to address collapse concerns without leveling the whole structure. Parts of the facade have already been braced, and the site has prompted sidewalk closures and even a relocated bus stop as officials and owners tried to keep the damaged building stable.

The action became possible after the San Francisco Board of Appeals rejected a challenge filed by North Beach resident Theresa Flandrich on May 20, 2026. Flandrich argued the permit amounted to a full demolition. With that appeal denied, the partial removal moved forward after years in which the building remained a burned-out shell despite broad frustration from neighbors and park users who passed it daily.

The Verdi Building, also known locally as the Coit Liquors building, was gutted by fires in 2013 and again in 2018, leaving it vacant ever since. The repeated damage turned a prominent corner facing Washington Square Park into a symbol of stagnation in a neighborhood defined by foot traffic, tourism and small-business activity. The building’s condition has long stood out precisely because it sits on one of North Beach’s most recognizable civic frontages.

Earlier redevelopment plans filed about seven years ago envisioned 23 rental units and a rooftop restaurant, but owner Jeff Jurow later said rising construction costs made that version infeasible. Jurow has also explored the state density-bonus program, a sign the eventual project could seek more height or density in exchange for affordable housing. Red Bridge Partners and Powell Partners LLC have also been tied to the project materials.

The prospect of a larger rebuild has not gone unchallenged. The Telegraph Hill Dwellers and the North Beach Tenants Committee have criticized the project, warning about shadow impacts and saying the owner should rehouse tenants affected by the 2018 fire. But supporters of the partial demolition, including Supervisor Danny Sauter, said the city could not keep waiting once experts concluded the structure posed an imminent public-safety hazard. For North Beach, the demolition clearance marked the first real movement toward replacing a long-neglected corner with something safer, and less visibly abandoned.