A storied building at Second Avenue and B Street in downtown San Mateo will enter a new chapter in its history after the developer Prometheus Real Estate Group purchased the 15,280-square-foot Kingfish building at 201 S. B St. for $10.5 million earlier this month.
Located some two blocks away from the developer’s future headquarters at the Trag’s Market site at 303 Baldwin Ave., the building is set to hold another restaurant or retail store on its ground-floor level and office on its second floor, basement and part of its first floor after the developer makes interior renovations to the building, according to a press release issued by Prometheus.
With plans to replace the Trag’s Market to build a four- and five-story mixed-use building, Prometheus President John Millham said the purchase is consistent with the developer’s ongoing investment in downtown San Mateo. Millham said the developer will be focused on updating the building’s interior to accommodate a growing technology company or similar type of business on the building’s second floor and basement, and is committed to maintaining the historical nature of the building’s exterior.
“We’re excited about the acquisition and look forward to furthering an iconic building in San Mateo,” he said.
Having owned the property since 1968, the Constantino family has seen the building through several upgrades and restoration projects to accommodate an array of uses, such as a restaurant and microbrewery called Barley and Hopps, said Ken Constantino, managing partner of the Constantino family. He said he and Realtor Jeff Diodati represented the family during the sale of the building, which followed the February closing of Kingfish restaurant after 18 years.
“They had a great run,” said Constantino. “They had an 18-year run serving the San Mateo community and they were, in my opinion, a real fixture in the downtown restaurant scene.”
The building has stood empty since Kingfish’s owners vacated it, and Constantino said the family initially wasn’t planning to sell it but opted to do so after several interested buyers stepped forward with offers. He said the family felt Prometheus would be a good custodian of the building given its investment in the Trag’s Market site.
If the family didn’t sell the building, Constantino said they also would have considered converting the second floor to office space.
“I think there’s a critical need … for downtown office space and I think the days of large, three-story restaurant are a thing of the past,” he said.
Built in the 1930s by two brothers who immigrated to San Mateo from Germany, Carl and Cuna Merkel, Constantino said the building benefits from a high-quality construction and historical elements. The architectural firm Thomas Edwards & H. Schary designed the distinctive art deco edifice with two towers reaching some 10 feet above the building’s second floor. Featuring large, arched windows on its second floor, the building’s double front doors were once topped by a stained glass window transom with the wording “House of Merkel” etched on it. That wording can still be found on the ground at the front door.
After decades of seeing the building become home to an antique shop, a Japanese restaurant, a shoe repair shop and a blues club, among other uses, the decision to sell the building was difficult for the family, said Constantino.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “I had some serious, ambivalent feelings, but we took it to a vote and the majority voted to sell the property.”
(2) comments
No more office production without housing.
B Street has a lot of beautiful historic buildings, a movie theater, and is close to a Caltrain station. It could become a popular destination if it were made more pedestrian friendly. This could be done by closing the blocks between First and Third to motor vehicles and turning it into a pedestrian mall. If that's too radical, how about eliminating the street side parking and widening the sidewalks? There could be sidewalk cafes and perhaps a stage for musicians.
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