151 Central Ave, San Francisco, CA 94117

The three-story, six-unit multi-family residential building at 151 Central Avenue in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, owned by Edward L. Podesta, was constructed in 1904 and has undergone several significant improvements and faced serious challenges throughout its history. Most notably, the building suffered substantial fire damage in 2006, which required emergency repairs including roof replacement and rewiring of five units.

Following this incident, a comprehensive fire alarm system was installed in 2007, and the building completed a mandatory soft-story retrofit in 2014-2015, reinforcing ground floor walls with framed shear walls and adding seismic safety features. Recent building maintenance has included foundation revisions, electrical system upgrades including grounding improvements, and various structural repairs. The property has experienced recurring maintenance issues and some regulatory challenges over the years. In 2012, multiple violations were documented related to windows and electrical installations, including the installation of unapproved exterior electrical conduit.

Historical violations from 2001 included security-related issues such as inadequate handrails and door locking devices, though these were subsequently abated. More recent building-related incidents have primarily involved external environmental issues, as evidenced by multiple 311 calls in 2023-2024 regarding sidewalk conditions and street cleaning needs. The building currently meets required safety standards, as evidenced by the completion of its Tier 3 soft-story retrofit with a Certificate of Final Completion issued, along with regular fire safety inspections documenting corrected conditions when necessary. While past issues indicate a history of maintenance challenges, many of these have been addressed through proper permitting and remediation efforts, and there have been no active violations on record since 2012.