The blighted Hibernia Bank building, built in 1892, is an even more difficult problem than the mint or the armory. The building at Market and Jones streets, which real estate sources say is about to be put on the market, has been long owned by Thomas Lin of Berkeley. He purchased the building in the early 1990s and is affiliated with an entity called the Chinese Cultural and Philosophical Foundation.
Lin, who did not return calls seeking comment, originally wanted to use it as a Buddhist temple. Florence Fang, the former owner of the San Francisco Examiner, wanted to buy it and put the newspaper's operations there. Real estate mogul and former political consultant Clint Reilly also looked at it.
More recently, impresario David Addington, who owns the Warfield Theater nearby, has expressed interest.
The building has been the target of complaints with the Department of Building Inspection. It was cited in March for "lack of maintenance" including broken skylights, and water damage.
from the article: Refurbishing landmarks can be a tough job
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen
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