Unsurprisingly, the Planning Commissioned voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new flagship Apple store that's headed for the prominent northeast corner of Union Square currently occupied by the former Levi's flagship store. The design for the store, a great big glass box, includes 40-foot-high sliding glass doors at the front, because why not.
The architect is Norman Foster, and the two 40x23-foot glass panel doors will be accompanied by a couple of smaller doors that will be the main entrances when the big doors are closed.
As the Chron reports, Apple development director Rick Militello said at yesterday's Planning meeting, "The project will be the flagship for Apple. It will be more iconic than the glass cube you may have seen in New York City."
Even though Planning commissioners voted 5 to 1 in favor the new store, no new project can go unprotested in this town. The controversy over this one involved the proposed removal of the bronze fountain on the rear of the site, sitting on the steps between the former Levi's store and the Hyatt, which was created by the late Bay Area artist Ruth Asawa. Some public outcry has forced Apple to preserve the fountain. You can see it's still there in the latest renderings.
Following on these new renderings of 950-974 Market Street from Danish architects BIG, this cool residential tower on its way to the Transbay district from Skidmore Owings & Merrill, and the distant possibility that this sleek Richard Meier-designed tower might get built at Van Ness and Market, San Francisco may just be coming up in the world, finally, architecture-wise.
