KOKORO, San Francisco, CA

Located on the border between Pacific Heights and Japan Town, this historic building was first built as a synagogue in the 1890’s, but had been long abandoned and neglected. An adjacent vacant lot was part of the site. The property was taken over by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and sold to the Japanese American Religious Foundation for development into an affordable assisted living community and adult day health care center.

The scope of work includes renovating the temple into the public portions of the project. The historic sanctuary, the vaulted volume and detailing of which needed to remain, houses the lounge, dining, and service facilities. A few residential units are also located in other spaces within the old structure. The majority of living units are located in a new mid-rise building on the adjacent lot.

Working closely with the Developer, Redevelopment Agency, and the City Planning and Building Departments, Larry developed plans that met the client’s number of units required for financing while fulfilling a complex array of historic, planning, and code constraints.

Program: 54 unit, Assisted Living Residence and Adult Day Health Care, with commercial kitchen and partially underground parking.
Construction Type: 6 story, Type 1 (concrete) new construction and renovation of adjacent wood framed temple.
Funding: Tax increment bond and MOH funding.
Client: Japanese American Religious Foundation.
Completed: 2004
Awards:

• “Gold Nugget Grand Award”, PCBC, 2004,
• “Grand Award, Best Seniors Housing Project” Builder’s Choice Awards, Builder Magazine. 
• “Platinum Achievement Award”, 2004 and “Gold Seal Award”, 2002, National Association of Home Builders, Council on Senior Housing.
• “Best Rehab/Renovation under 100,000 sq. ft.”, San Francisco Business Times.