One of the last remaining public housing buildings in San Francisco is coming down.
The World War II-era buildings, formerly run by the San Francisco Housing Authority, will be torn down over the course of at least nine months, according to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.
Plans to demolish the buildings were announced in 2017, and repeatedly delayed. Over the course of several years, the troubled buildings have been subject to lethal fires, squatting, and mismanagement.
Over the past nine weeks, photographer Thomas Hunter II documented the beginning of Potrero Hill Terrace and Annex’s demolition.
San Francisco, USA. 8th Jun 2026. An excavator demolishes a building in Potrero Annex. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
“It started with AT&T marking telecom equipment and PG&E performing gas shutoffs,” said Hunter. “After that crews visit each building in waves: First, an asbestos abatement crew goes through a building wearing hazmat suits and fills up bags. Next, firefighters climb to the roof and practice vertical ventilation where they cut holes with big saws. Finally, a demolition crew knocks the building down with an excavator.”
San Francisco, USA. 7th Jul 2026. Members of a demolition crew spray down and demolish a Potrero Annex building labeled D-19. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
“Despite all this the neighborhood remained alive. Squatters sleep in a building at night and leave signs of their passing like a mattress, a scrawled message, a hole in a fence. Commuters walk down the main street and rubber-neck. Autonomous Waymos drive in, get discouraged, and make U-Turns. It’s quiet now that most buildings have been reduced to concrete foundations,” said Hunter.
San Francisco, USA. 29th May 2026. An autonomous Waymo car drives into the blocked off Potrero Annex construction site while a construction worker watches. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
San Francisco, USA. 22nd Jun 2026. Potrero Annex buildings along the Turner Terrace route have been demolished down to the concrete foundation. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
San Francisco, USA. 27th Apr 2026. A burned down apartment interior can be seen in the Potrero Terrace. The low-income housing where OJ Simpson grew up is slated to be completely demolished in the upcoming months. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
San Francisco, USA. 27th Apr 2026. An AT&T employee climbs a telephone pole while an asbestos abatement crew works on a roof at the Potrero Terrace in the Potrero View neighborhood. The low-income housing where OJ Simpson grew up is slated to be completely demolished in the upcoming months. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
San Francisco, USA. 27th Apr 2026. The interior of a Potrero Terrace apartment is lit up with a camera obscura effect. The low-income housing where OJ Simpson grew up is slated to be completely demolished in the upcoming months. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
San Francisco, USA. 12th May 2026. An escavator demolishes a building in the Potrero Terrace / Potrero Annex section 8 housing in Potrero Hill. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
San Francisco, USA. 20th May 2026. A dumpster sits in the Potrero Annex neighborhood with a Danger Asbestos warning sign. Photo by Thomas Hunter II.
Marina Newman is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering Bayview-Hunters Point. Marina began at Mission Local as an intern in 2025 and previously reported on national and international news for the Pacifica Evening News.
Marina was born and raised in San Jose and graduated from UC Berkeley where she studied American Studies and Digital Journalism. You can reach her securely on Signal @marinanewman.12.