San Francisco, California: On July 15th, architecture and planning firm Hornberger + Worstell will celebrate the completion of the new CLOCK BAR, Michael Mina’s cocktail lounge in the 104 year old Westin St. Francis Hotel.

Through the conversion of a 1300 square foot retail space, The Westin St. Francis will enjoy its first dedicated hotel bar space since the 1950’s. As Coby Everdell, project architect explains, “After removing many layers of non-historic interior finishes installed over the past 100 years, we were able to see the construction methods of the original, long-gone era: shallow barrel vault floor structure, brick and clay tile fireproofing, and 3 inch thick plaster decoration. Despite the challenges of working with a complex, historic building, we were able to develop a thoroughly modern space and provide a much needed amenity that will enhance the overall quality of the hotel.”

The CLOCK BAR project began with the review of the hotel’s original 1904 construction drawings. In 2006, 177 drawings were carefully unrolled, scanned, and digitally enhanced to recapture faded detail. Each room of the hotel was then measured to resolve discrepancies in the drawings and modern CAD documents were produced to accurately describe the current state of the building.

The addition of the CLOCK BAR represents an important new chapter in the story of San Francisco architectural history. As the first hotel to be reconstructed after the 1906 earthquake, The St. Francis is one of the best examples of the Beaux-Arts style. Hornberger + Worstell’s project is a historic opportunity to maintain the original character of a prominent building while also giving new economic life.

Hornberger + Worstell is honored to contribute to this project as part of a team that includes Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Page & Turnbull, and the Rockwell Group.