Notorious San Francisco eyesore may finally be demolished — despite years-long NIMBY revolt
The Verdi Building in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood is set for demolition after years of opposition from tenant rights groups. Despite the ongoing disputes, city officials have deemed the structure a safety hazard. The developer plans to incorporate some historical features into a new project while addressing the concerns of displaced tenants.
- ▪The Verdi Building has been empty since fires in 2013 and 2018 left it in disrepair.
- ▪Red Bridge Partners filed for an emergency permit to address safety concerns, which was initially blocked by neighborhood groups.
- ▪The San Francisco Board of Appeals recently denied an appeal against the demolition permit, allowing the process to move forward.
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Metro exclusive details Notorious San Francisco eyesore may finally be demolished — despite years-long NIMBY revolt By Titus Wu Published May 31, 2026, 11:23 a.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The California Post on Google A burned-out structure that has been an eyesore for San Francisco’s iconic North Beach neighborhood is set to be demolished — even after a tenant rights group blocked that effort at the last minute, trying to extend the years-long saga to fix the blighted property. Still, the saga is not fully over yet, the building’s developer told The California Post. The Verdi Building at 659 Union Street has been sitting empty since two fires ravaged it in 2013 and 2018. All that’s left of it now is a brick exterior and temporary shoring holding it up.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at California Post.
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