SAN FRANCISCO—The Mills Building has been continuously owned by the Swig Company for more than 63 years, and ownership has studiously maintained and updated the building during that time with a particular emphasis on sustainability and tenant amenities. The iconic Mills Building at 220 Montgomery St., one of Swig's signature assets, along with adjacent properties at 333 and 369 Pine, have been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design/LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council/USGBC. In addition, illy Caffe, Pilates Pro and Lite Bite have signed leases in the building, adding to its ground-floor retail presence.
Though it was designed and built long before LEED came into existence, the Mills Building is one of the longest-serving office buildings in the country to secure LEED Platinum certification for being maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. It is believed to be the oldest commercially owned multi-tenant building in the Bay Area to carry USGBC's highest certification.
“Since 1892, The Mills Building has been at the cutting edge when it comes to providing office space and amenities,” said Tammy Liang, property manager. “For a time, it was one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi and its structure survived the 1908 earthquake. By preserving and celebrating its historic features, prioritizing sustainability, and updating infrastructure and technology, the Mills Building today appeals to a broad range of creative, entrepreneurial and traditional tenants.”
The building first received LEED certification in 2012, at the gold level. During the past five years, the Swig Company has updated the building's plumbing systems to reduce water consumption, adopted green cleaning policies, developed a comprehensive indoor air quality program and installed low-energy LED lighting and lighting automation features. The building also offers recycling, electric vehicle charging, composting and bike racks.
With respect to updating the ground-floor retailers within the building, illy, the third-generation family-owned coffee company from Trieste, Italy, which offers ethically sourced coffee, has opened its newest illy Caffè coffee bar at the corner of Montgomery and Bush Streets. In addition, Pilates Pro, an inventive fitness concept centered on the fundamentals of classical Pilates with a modern twist, has opened on the Bush Street building frontage.
In addition to existing popular eateries within the Mills Building, Freshroll (a Vietnamese roll and bowl restaurant) and Café Venue, Lite Bite, a gourmet prepared food market, has opened on Bush Street. The organic and all-natural café features a deli-style offering of entrees, salads, and specialty menu items for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets.
“Retail tenants help to enhance the feeling of community within a commercial office building and, largely because of the Mills Building's location, solid tenant base and existing successful retail amenities, we've been fortunate to continue to attract a diverse mix of strong retail operators,” Liang tells GlobeSt.com.
GlobeSt.com learns there is only 322 square feet of vacant ground-floor retail space remaining in the building. Other retail tenants include Juice to You, Ultrahealth (a physical therapy clinic), Ricoh (office products) and the UPS store. There is also a dental office, a dry cleaners and a Blood Centers of the Pacific location.
The Swig Company LLC is a privately owned San Francisco-based real estate operator founded by Benjamin H. Swig in 1936. Its experience includes investment, development, partnership and management of commercial real estate properties in major US markets.
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
