LS&CO. to Renew Levi’s Plaza Lease and Continue San Francisco Legacy
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) CEO John Anderson and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced that Levi Strauss & Co. will renew its lease at Levi’s Plaza in San Francisco, the city where the globally famous company was founded more than 156 years ago.
“We are delighted that Levi Strauss & Co. will remain in the city where it was born during the California Gold Rush more than 156 years ago,” said John Anderson, president and chief executive officer. “Levi Strauss was a visionary and an innovator, and it all began here in San Francisco in 1853. Levi was committed to ethical business practices and giving back to his new community. The company he created is now known the world over and people on every continent associate it with the city of San Francisco.”
When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his staff learned that Levi Strauss & Co. was considering a lease renewal, the mayor’s office began working with company officials to make sure they were aware of the programs and services that make San Francisco an attractive place to do business. They introduced the company to city programs and services and helped the company better leverage the city resources they were already utilizing. For example, the mayor’s office connected the company with money-saving energy efficiency and recycling programs, and workforce training dollars.
“We are thrilled that Levi Strauss & Co. has decided to renew its lease for its headquarters at Levi’s Plaza. There is only one place that a historic company like Levi Strauss & Co. should be located. That’s right here in San Francisco where it all started during the Gold Rush,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Levi Strauss & Co. has gone on to become an iconic company known by consumers around the world and people closely associate the company with its historic San Francisco heritage. Visitors come from around the world to see the company’s headquarters and experience this rich history.”
Levi Strauss & Co. has informed its landlord, Gerson Bakar & Associates, that it will renew its lease at its current location, 1155 Battery Street - also known as the Levi’s Plaza - for a 10-year period. The company’s decision to remain at its Battery Street headquarters means its century-and-a-half legacy as a San Francisco company will continue.
The company has long been deeply involved in the local community, tracing back to its founder, Levi Strauss. Strauss made his first charitable donation, to a San Francisco orphanage, just a year after establishing his new business. Since the 1970s, the company’s Community Involvement Teams have donated tens of thousands of volunteer hours each year to San Francisco nonprofit organizations and the Levi Strauss Foundation has matched the volunteer time with cash grants. During the company’s annual Community Day this past May 1 (501 day), the Levi Strauss Foundation gave nearly $200,000 in grants to 29 nonprofit organizations in San Francisco. In addition, the company’s employees annually participate in the San Francisco AIDS Walk in the Golden Gate Park. Last year employees raised more than $80,000 for the event.
Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss arrived in San Francisco from New York City in March of 1853 during the California Gold Rush. He was barely 24 years old. Levi had been sent by his older brothers to establish a West Coast branch of the family’s wholesale dry goods business. The journey was not easy. It took more than a month and required an overland passage on foot with mules through the mosquito-infested jungles of the Isthmus of Panama.
Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Levi immediately set up his business under his own name. The first known location for the fledgling business was an office and wholesale warehouse located on the north side of California St. between Sansome and Battery. The business quickly thrived in the heady atmosphere of Gold Rush San Francisco and eventually become known globally for an innovative clothing idea that would change the way people dress around the world.
After 156 years and 10 different headquarters locations, Levi Strauss & Co. is still closely associated with its San Francisco roots, including the “LS&CO. S.F.” emblazoned on its famous blue jeans rivets and the “Levi Strauss & Co. SF CAL” stamped into the shank button that fastens every pair of Levi’s® 501® jeans.
About Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world’s largest branded apparel companies and the global leader in jeanswear, marketing its products in more than 110 countries worldwide. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi’s®, Dockers® San Francisco and Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™ brands. Levi Strauss & Co. reported fiscal 2008 net revenues of $4.4 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com.
Here is a complete list of the known Levi Strauss & Co. headquarters locations in San Francisco:
Levi Strauss & Co. - 156 Years of San Francisco History:
- 1853 - LS&CO.’s first known office and wholesale warehouse is located on the north side of California between Sansome and Battery.
- 1854 - LS&CO. address is now located at 90 Sacramento, between Sansome and Battery.
- 1856 - LS&CO. relocates to 62 or 63 Sacramento Street.
- 1857 - LS&CO. address is now 63 and 65 Sacramento Street.
- 1861 - LS&CO. moves to 315-317 Sacramento Street between Drumm and Davis.
- 1866 - The company moves to 14-16 Battery Street, and gradually takes over more space on this block. By 1906, the company occupies 10-24 Battery Street. This location is completely destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
- 1906-1908 - The company operates in temporary locations in San Francisco and Oakland until the new headquarters are finished following the earthquake.
- 1908 - LS&CO.’s new offices are located at 98 Battery (at Pine) which is very close to the pre-earthquake location (San Francisco changed the street numbering system after the earthquake).
- 1973 - The company moves to the newly built Embarcadero Center.
- 1982 - LS&CO. moves to its present location at 1155 Battery Street - Levi’s Plaza.
Contacts:
Levi Strauss & Co
Jeff Beckman, 415-501-1689
jbeckman@levi.com
Kelley
Benander, 415-501-7598
kbenander@levi.com