“William Penn” (2011)
(331/9) 156-160 Eddy Street; Hotel Cecil (1907), Hotel Russell (1911), Hotel Kern (1923), William Penn Hotel (1984). Rooming house with 109 rooms and fifty-four baths. 4B stories; brick structure with terra cotta trim, decorative brickwork; ground level order with rusticated second level and two-story pilaster order above; two-part commercial block composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; arched entry with coffered vault; lobby: beamed ceiling with cove cornice; Moderne style blade sign with recent neon “Exit Theater”; alterations: some storefronts replaced with aluminum sash. Owners: Gustav Sutro (1907), Roman Patel (1982), City of San Francisco (2007). Architect: Albert Pissis, 1906.
Designed by Albert Pissis, the architect of the Flood Building and the Hibernia Bank Building at 1 Jones Street, the William Penn is one of a few hotels in the district with storefronts that have remained largely intact (note the transom windows, ironwork, and recessed doorways). Next to it is the Empress Hotel.
Ornamental ironwork fire escape and entry arch with coffered vault and fanlight. (2007)
“Exit” (2007)
The well-known and much-loved Albatross Bookstore was a tenant until 1983, when the storefront was leased by the Exit Theater, producer of the annual San Francisco Fringe Festival.
Source: San Francisco History Center, S.F. Public Library (Photo: Mary Anne Kramer)
Albatross Book Company, 1974.
hi iam wondering if you can please i was put on the weaiting list like 2 yrs ago and was there last year at the propperty only to be told that the two years dosnt begian until all the other spots adead of me are filled so now its like how long doss it take for the list to really take and i eas never informed of this they just told guy at the front wortheless said its a 2 yr waiting list when i filled out the app so now 2ys later he tells me i gotta wait till like 1000 people before me apps come up first any way they never pick up the phone suprise and iam now living in new york so i need ur help could you please find out if my name came up or how close i might be my fsmilly and my little girl are in s.f so as soon as i get housing and iam on so other lists as well i will be moving back for sure if you help me please i will be indedeted to you and will buy you a steak dinner for your help my name is peter m politi and the number you can reaCH ME AT IN NY IS 914 747 1073 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH MY LAND LORAD MANNY MARTINEZ THANKS SO VERT VERY MUCH PETER P
I’ve lived here since August 2010. I’m interested in local history and am glad to see my building has some. By the way, My window on the 3rd floor is in the pic!
I really like the entry arch
I closed the Albatross Book Co. in 1997. A Vietnamese youth center occupied the space some time later. The Exit Theater entrance is on the other side of The William Penn doorway [righ side from the street].
Thanks for the info re: the Albatross’ closing date, George. My personal memories of the bookstore are from a couple decades before then.