Salesforce Park and Salesforce Transit Center, a $2.2 billion project 20 years in the making has officially reopened to the public. The milestone occasion was highly anticipated by residents across the city but particularly here at 181 Fremont, the only residential building with direct access to the park by way of a private sky-bridge.

A significant convenience for residents of the East Cut neighborhood, five of the building’s six stories are devoted to San Francisco’s new transit hub, which services major bus lines in the area including Muni, AC Transit, Greyhound, and more. Bus service has not yet resumed at the Transit Center. Please check with your bus operator for a start date. Bus operations remain at the Temporary Transbay Terminal. With open skylights, an impressive public art display and a futuristic interior, the modern transportation center is an architectural marvel itself, but it’s the urban park in the sky on the sixth floor that really sets the structure apart.  

In an area where spacious greenery is highly coveted, the proposal to add park space to the rooftop of a one-million square-foot transit center was the kind of innovation the city yearned for. The landscaped 5.4-acre park is a community space for all, whether it’s a yoga class on your lunch break, enjoying a concert with friends or simply enjoying the fresh air.

With curved walkways lined with benches, picturesque fountains, various plant and flora in abundance, children’s play areas and even an amphitheater for events, there’s no shortage of things to appreciate and explore. Here’s a glance at some of the park’s most unique attributes:

Salesforce Park will play host to a variety of weekly events which including rotating food trucks, pop-up retail vendors and free performances and activities for all ages to encourage community engagement. Enjoy a Tai Chi class on the Central Lawn, a writing workshop on the Main Plaza or even a meditation class in the Amphitheater. Check the center’s website here for programming information, as it’s regularly updated. Along with the reopening is the start of gondola service, which takes people up two stories from the corner of Mission and Fremont.

To learn more about the brand-new, luxury condominiums for sale at 181 Fremont and life in SoMa and The East Cut, visit 181Fremont.com.

Get to Know Renowned
Art Advisor Holly Baxter

181 Fremont is highly regarded for its display of some of the most illustrious contemporary art pieces you’ll find in any residential building in San Francisco. To earn such a stellar reputation, one of the most sought-after art curators in the country, Holly Baxter, has been commissioned to procure the collection 181 Fremont.

Holly Baxter & Associates LLC is a curatorial and advisory firm that aims to bridge relationships between institutions and artists. Holly has facilitated numerous individuals, corporate and institutional collections throughout her near 20-year career.

We sat down with Holly to learn more about her expertise and the impact that art can make on the refinement of a home.

How would you describe the art collection that you’ve curated for 181 Fremont?

My intention in curating the extraordinary contemporary collection at 181 Fremont is to acquire works that enhance the building’s stunning architecture and aesthetic. Thoughtfully-selected, sophisticated works from across the globe that are intellectually and conceptually bold as well as technically accomplished to mirror the resplendent interiors that define 181 Fremont, and to further contribute to residents’ unparalleled fine living experience.

How do you go about selecting artwork?

The first step is to use aesthetics and the prospective 181 homeowners as a starting point and responding to the architecture and interior design’s refined elegance and sophistication. The next step is to select contemporary art that follows those intellectually and conceptually bold guidelines and then, lastly, to choose works by renowned international artists who are actively practicing and whose works are in permanent collections of major museums and important private collections. The artworks are all selected in collaboration with the interior designers and the Jay Paul Company team.

If you had to pick a favorite piece now on display at 181 Fremont, what would it be?

I love all of them. One in particular that I was thrilled to find is Shahzia Sikander’s The Six Singing Spheres #6, in the lobby. It resonates perfectly with the lobby’s gold dome, the shape and form of the room, and the poetic nature of its design by ODADA.

What role does fine art play in home décor?

Art breathes life into a home and makes it human. Art is the aesthetic and spiritual soul of the home.  It should inspire and resonate with the home and with the heart and mind of the homeowner.  

What would you say are the most unique aspects of the art community in San Francisco? Any up-and-coming artists we should know about?

One of the most unique aspects of the San Francisco art scene is the Minnesota Street Project. It was founded and run by art collectors and philanthropists Deborah and Andy Rappaport and it uses their for-profit art storage facility to subsidize economically sustainable spaces for art galleries, artists and related nonprofits. The Rappaports want to ensure that the rising rents in San Francisco do not drive out the galleries, artists and non-profits from the city. As was noted recently in the Observer, “they have almost single-handedly created a sustainable environment where an arts community can thrive”. MSP has been a huge success and has attracted top San Francisco galleries as well as international galleries and exhibitions to their art building in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The New York Times described it as the most exciting new art district in America. 

As for up-and-coming artists, I very much like the work of Erica Deeman, who shows with Anthony Meier gallery. I am also a fan of Bay Area artists Liam Everett and Trevor Paglen, both represented by the Altman Siegel gallery. We have a Trevor Paglen photograph at 181 Fremont now, and it’s stunning. 

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If you’re interested in requesting Holly Baxter’s services, you can reach her at holly@hollybaxterandassociates.com, on her website at www.hollybaxterandassociates.com, or on her Instagram @hollylbaxter.

We will be hosting a special pop-up art exhibit this summer, so stay tuned for details! For more on 181 Fremont, brand-new luxury condominiums in SoMa, San Francisco, please contact our sales team.