In the past couple of years, lavish high-rise apartment buildings have popped up all over the city. From Polk Street to Soma, every neighborhood has its own specially-named smart living space. One that’s recently caught our eye—for its unparalleled amenities, stunning views, and spacious homes—is NEMA (which stands for New Market). Located on the windy corner of 10th and Market streets, NEMA is a two-tower residence from Crescent Heights. There are 754 units in the Handel Architects-designed buildings, which are LEED silver certified. With impressive height—the south tower has 24 floors and the north tower has 37 floors—almost every NEMA apartment has some sort of beautiful city view, framed by floor-to-ceiling windows.
Walk into NEMA’s main lobby and you’ll be welcomed by a warm team member and masculine chic living room with plush couches, leather X-benches, and coffee table books about San Francsico and beyond. Someone is at the front desk, monitoring security cameras and managing entry into the building, 24 hours per day. At NEMA, you’ll never have to dig through your purse in search of keys. The residence has keyless entry doors that are accessible with a slim card. Everything about the complex is smart and futuristic. There’s no need to remember the floors of the fitness center, pool, or spa. Simply push the icon that is associated with your desired destination and the elevator will drop you off at that location. Large digital touch screens are in the common areas, so if you need your car, you can contact the garage valet team quickly by using the touch screen monitor. There’s a NEMA app that allows residents to schedule in-home massages, pay rent, or order local organic produce. Laundry, dry cleaning, housekeeping, dog walking, childcare, bicycle repair, and car washing are a few of the perks available at NEMA.
Head to one of NEMA’s common areas and you’ll feel like you’re walking into the offices of a nearby tech giants, Twitter, Uber, or Square. The residents are young, hip, internet savvy, and international. The 11th floor backyard terrace has grills, pavilions, and a variety of seating, plus flat screen televisions—making it the perfect place to host an Olympics Opening Ceremony viewing party and barbecue. The 3rd floor urban terrace has NEMA-branded corn hole, a 60-foot lap pool with saline water treatment system, and solarium that’s used for fitness classes and resident brunches and happy hours. The 24th-floor skyline terrace has lounges for soaking up the sun, space for morning rooftop yoga classes, and spectacular views of San Francisco. The fitness center and gym offers classes like spin and TRX as well as personal training, weight rooms, and a spa treatment facility.
A lot of detail has been put into the shared living space at the NEMA—and also the individual residences. Each home has a washer and dryer, spacious closets, polished concrete or wood floors, and sleek kitchens with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and slow-close drawers. There are many different floor plans and the units are available in studio, one, and two bedrooms. The area surrounding NEMA is up-and-coming, but many excellent places have already set up shop. A hair salon, Steel and Lacquer, is adjacent to the building, and a grocery store, The Market, is across 10th street. Daniel Patterson’s Alta CA restaurant serves sensational American cuisine, from toast with farmers cheese and seasonal vegetables to dry-aged ribeye with fingerling potatoes, across Market street. Around the corner, at Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio, cocktails and live jazz make for a lively atmosphere. For centrally located modern urban living, you can’t beat NEMA.
