Source: Brock Keeling - Curbed SF
This week, 70-story 181 Fremont, a business/residential luxury high-rise featuring sleek and sumptuous units by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, officially topped out. The spire, signed by the everyone involved in the project, has been put in its place. And the tower is ready to take its rightful place among California’s most iconic structures.
The topping off is a huge milestone for the building. It marks the end of the structural phase of the $665 million high-rise. Now the build-out of the 55 luxe condominium residences and 12 accessory suites will begin.
As for the spire, it’s poised to become as iconic to the city’s skyline à la the Transamerica Pyramid point and 555 California’s jagged rim. Before rising to the top, the spire was signed by those who worked on the project, including folks with Jay Paul Company (developer), Arup (engineering), Level 10 Construction, Diaz-Azcuy, Heller Manus Architects and Hornberger + Worstell (residential architects), and the Mark Company (sales and marketing).
You can see their signatures here.
On Monday, just before sunset, Curbed SF was invited to tour the top floor of 181 Fremont. Donning a hard hat and fluorescent-hued protection vest, your editor and a gaggle of journalists were whisked to the top floor to check out the views, the construction in progress, and to see the spire aimed at the stars.
The most striking part of the penthouse-level tour was the views. From the East Bay to South City to Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge, whomever nabs the 7,000-square-foot full-floor penthouse won’t have to choose which view they want. Because they will have them all. Lucky devil.
The building, touted as the safest in the country, will feature Evac-elevators. Fremont 181 will be the first U.S. building to use all elevators in case of evacuation.
Also, as the crew were quick to point out, the tony skyscraper is drilled into bedrock—tucked down into a reported 42 elements, we’re told, unlike their neighbor, the troubled Millennium Tower.
Salesforce Tower looms large as its neighbor.
181 Fremont will also be one of two skyscrapers with direct access to the 5.4-acre City Park, via a private skybridge.
Alas, living here won’t come cheap—units start in the low $3 millions for two-bedrooms and mid-$6 millions for three-bedrooms. (Everyone on the tour agreed that, if they had the dough to buy property here, a southwest exposure would be their ideal view.)
The entire project should be done by mid 2017.