The Mission District’s former Social Security office housed at the historic Hibernia Bank, which closed in 2022, may finally be reopening — this time as a bookstore and restaurant.
On Dec. 16, the building at 1098 Valencia St. on the corner with 22nd Street sold for $11 million to Alio Management Group, LLC. A week later, on Dec. 23, John Devlin, a real estate attorney representing the new owners, submitted an application with the Planning Department for a bookstore and restaurant on the ground floor, with a stage and event space on the second level. The proposal would require a rezoning.
The two-story, 14,773 square-foot building was designed in 1924 by architect Artur Brown Jr. It has been empty since the federal government moved the Social Security offices to 3140 16th Street.
The project, which is being designed by a local architecture firm specializing in historic buildings, Page & Turnbull, would uncover the building’s skylight and preserve a historical bank vault and door in the basement, as well as wall finishes in the building’s lobby area that were built more than 100 years ago.
The plan would also replace most of a street-level parking lot behind the building with an outdoor garden, with space for bicycle parking.
The second floor would have a stage, assembly and general entertainment area.
In response to the proposal, the Planning Department asked the applicants for more information about the scope of the project, according to a department spokesperson.
Eileen Rinaldi, president of the Valencia Merchants Association and owner of Ritual Coffee, which sits a block away from the site, described the proposal as “promising — unless it’s formula retail.” Valencia Street merchants have successfully fought off attempts by chain stores to open on the commercial corridor in the past.
Page & Turnbull declined to comment on the project. The attorney and firms representing the owner have yet to respond to requests for comment.
It’s not clear if the proposal would need to go in front of the planning commission.
The building is one of several former Hibernia bank locations in San Francisco. The Mid-Market branch, at 1 Jones St., fell into disrepair before being renovated and subdivided, and then revamped again into a venue for weddings, corporate events, and the occasional EDM show.