Another example of adaptive reuse is the Tanforan Cottage (1854) by Gelfand RNP Architects. The Tanforan Cottage is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest surviving residential structures in San Francisco’s Mission district. The existing wood-frame, Gold-Rush-era, “Greek revival” house has been modernized and added to in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historic structures.
The rehabilitated Tanforan Cottage provides eight residents with HIV/AIDS an affordable, independent living environment. The cottage’s shallow porch and ornamented false front had complicated physical access to the building, so a new ramp was installed along the north side to a landing at a rear deck. The Tanforan Cottage retains small-scale residential qualities and contributes to the civic life of its neighborhood.