The Church of Scientology is expanding in downtown San Francisco. It closed Monday on a building at 650 Sacramento St. for $2.1 million, according to property records cited by the San Francisco Standard.
The building
The building dates to 1909. Its seller, local developer Brick & Timber Collective, bought it out of foreclosure for about $2.5 million, the Standard reported, so the church paid several hundred thousand dollars less.
Sotheby's selling agent Rich Lewetzow told the Standard the seller had planned to convert the building into offices, "but then COVID hit, and prices of materials skyrocketed." He said the building was in shell condition and was marketed for several years. Local and national developers looked at it, some considering housing. Any future use will require a full renovation and seismic retrofit.
What the church says
Church spokesperson David Bloomberg told the Standard the purchase will "increase our capacity to serve our parishioners and the broader community." Lewetzow said the church plans to keep historic features while building the space out for new uses. Specific plans haven't been announced.
The headquarters next door
The church's San Francisco home is at 701 Montgomery St., in the original Transamerica building next to the Transamerica Pyramid. According to the church, the triangular building opened in 1909 as an Italian bank founded by John Fugazi. Amadeo P. Giannini bought it in 1928 for his Bank of America and later added a third story. The church says it renovated the landmark, including its white terra cotta facade and original basement bank vaults, and dedicated it in November 2003.