San Francisco’s Hearst Building is in line for a hotel conversion

Publishing giant Hearst are looking to transform its Spanish Revival landmark in San Francisco into a high-end hotel.

Designed by architects Kirby, Petit & Green, the 1911 Hearst Building was home to the San Francisco Examiner until the 1960s and is currently offices for smaller businesses and non-profit groups.

The publisher is working with developer JMA Ventures to convert the 13-storey building into a 130-room hotel and will submit their plans to city planning bosses in the coming weeks.

‘People like to stay in a building with a story to tell,’ JMA Ventures partner Todd Chapman told the San Francisco Chronicle, which is owned by Hearst. ‘We plan to celebrate the heritage but bring on some modern amenities and flair. We think adaptive reuse – bringing the systems up to current standards – is something that will be for the good of the building.’

The conversion plans were partly inspired by one of the building’s existing bars, the Local Edition, whose interior design pays homage to the newspaper trade and printing press.

According to Chapman, the planning process will take several years, giving current tenants time to find new homes.