Steve Jobs memories: How Apple SF store came to be
It was just a small piece of Steve Jobs’ shrewdness, finding a prime location in the middle of downtown for his San Francisco Apple store. And yet, it almost didn’t happen.
The site that Apple bought, at 1 Stockton St., turned out to be one of those buildings that carried historic status, which meant it had to be preserved in some form.
The trouble was, keeping history alive was the total opposite of the sleek display design that Jobs had mandated for all Apple stores.
So, around 2000, when I was mayor, I met with Jobs. He showed me pictures of Apple stores all over the world, then proceeded to inform me that everyone was telling him the Stockton Street location wouldn’t work because of the historic-building restrictions.
“You know, Steve,” I told him, “no one says you have to preserve the entire building.”
“How in the hell am I going to keep a part of the building and still put in my design?” he asked.
“Easy. Just promise to preserve a significant part of the building.”
“And what significant part would that be?”
“How about the back wall?” I said.
It was a stretch for sure, but that’s how we got the Apple store in San Francisco. One with a very historic back wall, I might add.