mint collection

MINT PLAZA

The city’s newest public plaza will become an integral component of the thriving Union Square neighborhood. Scheduled for completion by late summer 2007, Mint Plaza will transform the existing Jessie Street right-of-way adjacent to the Old U.S. Mint building into a vibrant pedestrian-only green plaza. (The Old U.S. Mint is also slated for redevelopment into a city museum and visitors center).

Mint Plaza will serve as a community gathering spot bustling with regular art exhibitions and cultural programs, including outdoor music festivals, cinema alfresco, farmers markets, and public art installations. The plaza will feature new restaurants and cafés offering both indoor and outdoor dining. Here, food lovers can bask in the afternoon sun over lunch or enjoy an evening under the stars. And when you are ready to be entertained, Mezzanine has it all. As San Francisco’s premiere entertainment and lifestyle venue, Mezzanine showcases live and electronic music from all genres – rock, dance, hip hop, soul, jazz, salsa, world -- as well as multimedia art events, fashion shows and video and film installations.

Partnering with city and community stakeholders to create the plaza, Martin Building Company’s design is simple and adaptable to encourage a variety of uses. Highlights include a green arbor lined with specialized storefronts and a “best practices” storm water management system that captures runoff from the plaza to feed two rain gardens and an underground infiltration system. By retaining water on-site, the plaza’s design reduces stress on the city’s sewer system during storms, helping to prevent overflow of untreated sewage into the Bay.

As one of San Francisco’s most anticipated cultural destinations, Mint Plaza will provide a peaceful place to live, work, dine, enjoy arts and entertainment, and celebrate a sense of community.