Jackson Square, San Francisco’s original center of business in the Gold Rush days, is again a commercial hot spot. Well-heeled tenants such as venture capitalists and tech firms are hanging shingles in the area, while upscale retailers are opening shops on its quaint, historic streets. Demand for commercial space in the neighborhood, which lies at the northern edge of the Financial District bordering North Beach, has exemplified a post-COVID-19 pandemic trend of relative commercial vitality in certain neighborhoods when compared with downtown, according to a recent report from real-estate firm Colliers, which declared 2024 to be “The Year of Jackson Square.
” Downtown’s economy has been relatively slow to recover, with continuing high office-vacancy rates since remote work exploded in prevalence in the wake of the pandemic. Over the last year in Jackson Square, Colliers counted 22 new office leases, at least six new retailers planting flags and seven building sales. New tenants featured at least a half-dozen digital-technology companies, including two focused on artificial intelligence; a private-equity firm; and several venture-capital operations, which joined numerous others that have clustered in and around the area in recent years.
New luxury retailers include a Paul Smith fashion outlet at 463 Jackson St. and a Polo Ralph Lauren store that is expected to open soon on the same street. Michelin-starred chefs Michael and Lindsay Tusk, meanwhile, are planning to open .
