Ingka Centres, the mall arm of IKEA, just announced the activation of one more of the upper floors of the still half-vacant, six-story shopping center at 945 Market Street.
After debuting the two-level food hall Saluhall last year, and promising a slow rollout for filling other spaces in the shopping center, officially named Meeting Place, with tenants — and it sure has been slow! — Ingka Centres just announced that a section of the fourth floor facing Market Street will become L4, a new event space, this October.
The 3,877-square-foot event venue will have a capacity for up to 250 people, with catering packages provided through Saluhall downtstairs. With a central location not far from transit, Moscone Center conventions and Union Square hotels, it’s being billed as “ideal for private celebrations, cultural events, corporate gatherings, and community activations.”
Renderings of the space depict it having a bar, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street, and a space that can be set up in multiple configurations, including a lounge and a gallery.
Rendering via Ingka Centres
Rendering via Ingka Centres
“At 945 Market, we’re building more than just an event space — we’re creating a place for San Francisco to come together,” said Nick Cattaneo, CX Leader at Ingka Centers, in a release. “Whether it’s a community gathering, a conference, or a milestone celebration, this venue is designed to feel welcoming, flexible, and full of possibility. We’re excited to open our doors and be part of what makes this city so vibrant, diverse, and alive.”
With the opening of L4, this leaves only the third and fifth floors of Meeting Place still vacant, by our count, though the event space may only occupy the front portion of the fourth floor. Ingka is still promising that “When fully complete, the building will feature an inspiring blend of retail, office, entertainment, food, and digital experiences — reimagining what a modern community hub can look like.”
The “entertainment” and “digital experiences” would seem to be the missing components, for now.
IKEA opened its first urban-scalem three-story store in San Francisco in August 2023, offering shipping on furniture items and a limited selection of products that can be purchased and taken home directly from the store, as well as a cafe serving its signature meatballs. Ingka Centres then opened Hej! Workshop, a co-working space on the top-most floor of the complex.
Saluhall followed in April 2024, and already there has been some turnover among the food vendors and offerings there — notably, you can now get SmishSmash smashburgers on the ground floor, and Oakland’s well-loved Tacos El Ultimo Baile just debuted in the upstairs area.