851 Main Street

The oldest city on the San Francisco Peninsula, Redwood City is rich in history and local lore. Just 27 miles from downtown San Francisco, the historic downtown was originally a port town during the gold rush. Today, the city is a center of high-tech industry, sitting at the mid-point of the San Francisco Bay Peninsula, and is known for its 255 sunny days a year and a profound sense of community.

The restoration and renovation of a four-parcel, mixed-use building on the Historic Main Street Corridor in Redwood City included the preservation of 3 historic storefronts from the 1920’s, including large sections of the existing exterior walls. The design team envisioned a neoclassical, mixed-use building, seeking to maintain and enhance the existing historic façades in keeping with their small-scale character and legacy. Designed by DES Architects with construction spearheaded by W.L. Butler, this living, historic structure was transformed into one four-story building at 851 Main Street. The entrance features an expansive interior structural glass wall in the main lobby area that was designed, engineered and supplied by Sentech Architectural Systems. This 25’ tall glass entrance wall utilizes Sentech’s VetraFin-G Series System, featuring an interior fin wall, full height glass fins, and laminated low iron glass panels. The highly transparent solution subdivides the entrance, creating an open space without obstructing the flow of light from the entrance skylight.