It’s great for the Tenderloin to have more “eyes on the street,” but nobody wants to live in a fishbowl. And that’s what the new building at Turk and Hyde Street looks like, with tiny first-floor apartments that have unusually large windows directly facing the street. The units are available for rent starting July 1st, but it’s hard to imagine who would pay $1550/month for a one-bedroom apartment where your whole life is on display. While a construction crew puts on finishing touches, passersby gaze at the units’ new kitchen furnishings – making this building the neighborhood laughing stock. The first floor units may be prime real estate for a pimp or drug dealer, but once these units are occupied we expect most residents to put up shades – defeating the purpose of large windows.



Don’t get me wrong. With Beyond Chron’s office just down the block, we’re delighted that the property owner transformed a decrepit parking lot into a four-story apartment building. And we’re happy to welcome new residents who want to make the Tenderloin safe and livable. But whoever had the brilliant idea of putting street-level apartments on the first floor with enormous windows clearly wasn’t thinking. Loiterers will hang out on the window ledge, while residents get their constant entertainment from street activity.



Described by many who have seen it as one of the ugliest buildings in the City, the first-floor apartments only add insult to injury. The developer could have put some first-floor commercial retail that would serve the whole neighborhood – or at least not have apartment windows that stoop so low. The apartments are advertised as “centrally located,” but I doubt most people will pay $1550/month to have that central of a location. The developer is planning an open house on Sunday morning from 11 to 12. Guess how long it will take them to rent out the first floor units …



EDITOR'S NOTE: These photos really don't do justice to how ridiculous these first-floor apartments truly are. Readers are encouraged to drop by Turk and Hyde and see for themselves.