Overview

Welcome to BAY AREA METRO CENTER

Welcome to 375 Beale, the Bay Area Metro Center, an extraordinary building located in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill. Anchored on bedrock at the base of the Bay Bridge, this historic 79-year-old structure has undergone several transformations since the 1940’s.  The building was originally constructed in 1942 as a part of the war effort and served as a vital supply depot for the Marine Corp and dormitory for American soldiers. Some of the original architectural elements within the building still exist today.  Our rooftop has a lookout tower that once was used to watch out for enemy naval ships and airplanes. There is also an underground tunnel that connects to our neighboring building that used to shuttle half-track tanks to the Pacific war front.  Additionally, during renovations pieces of railroad tracks were uncovered that once delivered military artillery supplies to the building.

Twenty years later, in the 1960s, this building was then turned into a Regional U.S. Postal Service Facility, serving as the main hub of communication between the U.S. Soldiers and their loved ones during the Vietnam War.  One repurposed feature from this era is a 10,000-gallon diesel tank that once refueled the USPS postal trucks and now supplies the buildings backup generator.

In 2013, the building evolved once again. The 525,000 square-foot (usable space) building was converted into a welcoming mixed-use office space located in what is now known as “The East Cut District”. This eight-story adaptive reuse project features soaring ceilings with state-of-the-art offices, community hearing spaces, a boardroom, and ground floor retail. At the heart of the building is a full-height 64,000 square-foot atrium that illuminates the lobby. The natural light intensifies lobby features which include reclaimed piles of unearthed wood from the Transbay Terminal and an iconic floating stairwell. Throughout the common areas of the building, shared meeting spaces are named after significant Northern California landmarks. 375 Beale is now home to four local government agencies (Association of Bay Area Governments, Bay Area Quality Management District, Bay Conservation and Development Commission, Metropolitan Transportation Commission), architectural and tech firms.