# Paramount Tower
**The Paramount** is a 43-story residential high-rise at 680 Mission Street in the South of Market (SoMa) district of San Francisco, California, completed in 2001 and operated as luxury rentals by Related California.[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) At completion it was described by its owner as the tallest residential building in San Francisco and was one of the first residential developments in the newly emerging SoMa neighborhood.[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) Structurally, it is a precast, prestressed concrete (concrete with internal steel stretched before loading, adding strength) tower that set a double record as the tallest concrete structure and the tallest precast, prestressed concrete framed building in Seismic Zone 4, the high-earthquake-hazard zone covering the [San Francisco Bay Area](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-bay-area).[2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | 680 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, near Mission and Third streets, adjacent to SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Gardens[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) • [3](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-apartment-paramount-outage-issues-19373983.php) |
| Height | 420 ft (128 m) per the PCI Journal structural account; 127.4 m / 418 ft architectural height per the Council on Vertical Urbanism database[2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx) • [4](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798) |
| Floors | 43 stories per the owner and 2001 press accounts; 39 stories in the structural engineering literature; 40 floors above ground in the CVU database[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) • [2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx) • [4](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798) |
| Units | 495 units with 20% affordable per the owner; 387 rental units after the 2017 renovation; 486 units at the 2001 opening[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) • [5](https://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/renovations/related-cos-re-invents-the-paramount_o) • [6](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/SOMA-rentals-a-tempting-alternative-to-condos-2851483.php) |
| Structure | Precast, prestressed concrete ductile frame with post-tensioning and high-strength reinforcing steel; first major high-rise braced by an architecturally finished exposed precast concrete ductile frame[2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx) |
| Schedule | Construction start 2000; completed 2001 (owner) or 2002 (CVU database)[4](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798) • [1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) |
| Design team | Elkus Manfredi Architects and Kwan Henmi (architects); Charles Pankow Builders (construction); Marmol Radziner (interior design)[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) |
| Parking | 355 parking spaces per the CVU database; basement parking operated separately at $275 per month in 2001[4](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798) • [6](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/SOMA-rentals-a-tempting-alternative-to-condos-2851483.php) |
## Structure and seismic design
The Paramount is an apartment building whose lower floors accommodate retail space, vehicle parking, and recreational amenities.[2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx) Its structural distinction lies in the seismic bracing: it was the first major high-rise building to be braced by an architecturally finished exposed precast concrete ductile frame, a system in which the frame itself, left visible rather than encased, resists earthquake forces. The reinforcement used to create this ductile frame includes post-tensioning and high-strength reinforcing steel.[2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx) At 39 stories and 420 ft (128 m), the building held a double record as the tallest concrete structure and the tallest precast, prestressed concrete framed building in Seismic Zone 4.[2](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx)
The CVU database classifies the building as all-concrete and residential, ranking it 49th tallest in San Francisco.[4](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798)
## Development and opening
The tower was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects with Kwan Henmi, built by [Charles Pankow Builders](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-pankow-builders), and developed by Related California.[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) The CVU database records construction starting in 2000; the owner lists completion in 2001, while the CVU database lists 2002.[4](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798) • [1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount)
At its November 2001 opening, the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle) reported 486 units, with rents from $1,875 for a studio to $3,000 for a corner two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, and nearly half the apartments already rented despite a down-slope rental market.[6](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/SOMA-rentals-a-tempting-alternative-to-condos-2851483.php) Amenities at opening included a 55-foot heated lap pool held at a constant 82 degrees, a fitness center with 30 machines, a residents' lounge, and rooftop access; parking in the basement was operated by a separate company at $275 per month.[6](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/SOMA-rentals-a-tempting-alternative-to-condos-2851483.php) The San Francisco Planning Department's 2001-2004 Housing Inventory describes the Paramount as a 495-unit residential/retail/office building at 680 Mission Street and notes that 99 affordable units were built as part of the project under its higher inclusionary requirements.[7](https://archives.sfplanning.org/documents/2213-Housing%20inventory%2001-04.pdf) The owner's current description cites a 43-story, 495-unit tower with 20% affordable units.[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount)
## Renovation and operation
In 2017, Related Companies reopened The Paramount following a $25 million renovation and redesign by the design-build firm Marmol Radziner.[5](https://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/renovations/related-cos-re-invents-the-paramount_o) The 387-unit community received modernized units, refreshed common spaces, and an expanded amenity roster; the lobby gained a Nacardo quartzite accent wall, limestone floors, and a living wall, with artwork from Eva Schlegel, Val Britton, and other local artists in the halls.[5](https://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/renovations/related-cos-re-invents-the-paramount_o) Updated units range from studios to two-bedrooms, with rents from $3,195 to $5,895 at the time of the reopening.[5](https://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/renovations/related-cos-re-invents-the-paramount_o) Marmol Radziner's scope covered the fitness center, business center, lounges, leasing offices, and pool deck, plus design reviews of the public roof decks, corridors, and select premium units.[8](https://www.marmol-radziner.com/the-paramount-interiors/) Current amenities include 24-hour [valet parking](https://www.edgepedia.org/valet-parking), valet dry cleaning, personal and bicycle storage, concierge service, a landscaped rooftop sun terrace, and a swimming pool.[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount)
The building is owned by Related Rentals and managed by Related Management Company.[3](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-apartment-paramount-outage-issues-19373983.php) • [1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount) In February 2024 a power outage forced residents out of the building for about nine days, and reimbursement became a monthlong dispute: management offered a nine-day rent credit and, citing California Civil Code section 1947.9, which in San Francisco requires landlords to reimburse households $428 per day for costs of vacating uninhabitable residences, ultimately posted per-diem reimbursements as rent credits in late March 2024 rather than direct repayment.[3](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-apartment-paramount-outage-issues-19373983.php)
## Setting
The Paramount stands near the corner of Mission and Third streets in downtown San Francisco, half a block from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and across the street from Yerba Buena Center and its gardens, with the Financial District less than a 10-minute walk away.[3](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-apartment-paramount-outage-issues-19373983.php) • [6](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/SOMA-rentals-a-tempting-alternative-to-condos-2851483.php) The owner describes it as a short walk to Union Square and the Financial District, adjacent to SFMOMA, Yerba Buena Gardens, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.[1](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount)
## References
1. [The Paramount, Related California](https://www.relatedcalifornia.com/our-company/properties/paramount)
2. [Design-Construction of The Paramount, A 39-Story Precast Prestressed Concrete Apartment Building, PCI Journal Vol. 47 No. 4 (2002)](https://www.pci.org/PCI/PCI/Publications/PCI_Journal/Issues/2002/July-August/Design-Construction_of_The_Paramount___A_39-Story_Precast_Prestressed_Concrete_Apartment_Building.aspx)
3. ['Nightmare': Major outage at SF high-rise turns into a monthlong saga, SFGATE (2024)](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-apartment-paramount-outage-issues-19373983.php)
4. [The Paramount, The Skyscraper Center (Council on Vertical Urbanism)](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/12798)
5. [Related Cos. Re-Invents The Paramount, Multifamily Executive (2017)](https://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/renovations/related-cos-re-invents-the-paramount_o)
6. [SOMA rentals a tempting alternative to condos, San Francisco Chronicle (2001)](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/SOMA-rentals-a-tempting-alternative-to-condos-2851483.php)
7. [San Francisco 2001-2004 Housing Inventory, San Francisco Planning Department](https://archives.sfplanning.org/documents/2213-Housing%20inventory%2001-04.pdf)
8. [The Paramount, Marmol Radziner](https://www.marmol-radziner.com/the-paramount-interiors/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Architecture, buildings, and civil works › Buildings and architectural ensembles › Skyscrapers and high-rise towers › North American skyscrapers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license