Levi's Plaza - Buildings and Facilities

Buildings and Facilities

Buildings at the Levi Plaza site include:

• Saddleman Building (1355 Sansome Street), four floors, 64,000 square feet (5,900 m2) of space
  • In 1998 Levi Strauss & Co. moved its employees out of Saddleman after seven women working there had developed breast cancer. The breast cancer cases appeared in 1996 and 1997, and a fear of cancer among the employees after an employee had a meeting with CEO Robert Haas. A study determined that the building did not pose a health hazard, but employees feared working in the building. In the northern hemisphere summer of that year, employees began to be moved out. By October 1998, no employees were left.

The company originally stated that a downsizing had prompted to pull employees out of Saddleman. Several internal memorandums revealed that the fears of employees prompted the company to remove its employees from the building. At one time the consumer affairs, engineering groups, and pattern makers were located in the building.

• Stern Building (1265 Battery Street) - Located on the campus's northeast corner
• Koshland Building
  • In 1998 Levi Strauss planned to move its offices out of the Koshland Building. During that year, before the moving out announcement, the company held 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) of space at the Koshland Building. Levi Strauss planned to use the Koshland facility as "swing" space so that company groups can occupy spaces there on a temporary basis while their permanent offices are renovated.
• Koshland Building East (1160 Battery St.)
  • The Public Library of Science (PLoS) has its headquarters in Suite 100 in the Koshland East Building. In June 2010 the organization, previously in China Basin Landing, announced that it was moving to a new location because the growth of the PLoS One academic journal, published by PLoS, and the increase of the number of articles sent to the PLoS after a National Institutes of Health mandate was put into effect made the PLoS outgrow its previous location. The move went into effect on June 21, 2010.
  • Mindjet Corporation has its US headquarters in Suite 400 in the Koshland East Building.

The complex includes retail center that serves residents of the area and employees. Glenn Brank of the Sacramento Bee said that the retail center was "modest." As of 1987 Levi Strauss has a 450 person company cafeteria within the complex.

As of 1998, 66% of the space at Levi Plaza is dedicated to open plazas and park land. Levi Plaza Park is a facility at the complex. Liz Allen of the Public Library of Science said that the park is "a Zen oasis of willow trees, water, rocks and a meandering path in the busy city." Lawrence Halprin, a landscape architect, helped design the Levi Strauss Plaza. To coincide with the completion of the Levi Strauss Plaza, several of his design sketches were placed on exhibit. It is divided by Battery Street into two distinct parts. As of 1991 various community events were held at the park.

Levi's Plaza formerly had the Ice House, a 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) facility. In 1991 Levi Strauss & Co. acquired it. In 1998 the company planned to redesign the facility.