Why so few doormen in big SF apartment houses?

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by citylove101

Wandering the big city by the bay here and also reading a recent thread about crime in the city and why citizens should or should not own guns as protection against home invasions, it seemed to me that I've seen very few large apartments with doormen. A 24/7 doorman is a huge deterrent to burglaries and home invasion as well as putting more eyes on the street. Yet it seems few big buildings here, old or new, have them.

Many large upscale buildings in New York or Chicago have doormen. But not here from what I've seen. Am I just looking in the wrong places or is it a tradition here? I know it would be an added expense, but wouldn't people pay the added cost to feel safer?

No idea why there aren't more doormen considering the high HOA's on most developments. I don't think most apartment or condo developments have home invasion problem though. From what I understand it's mostly SFR's. The worst thing that happens in large developments seems to be package stealing. I know many have installed cameras, but that isn't exactly working to deter them.

[04kL4nD]

It's definitely more of an East Coast status symbol. In SF, people would rather you see them getting into their Prius. Or Tesla.

[citylove101]

Ah the cultural differences between the Coasts.

A doorman isn't seen by many in NYC as some sort of tremendous status symbol. There are plenty of apartment buildings of non-Park Ave and non-Fifth Ave caliber that have someone at the door, and you can find these buildings, generally for the middle to upper-middle classes, in every borough outside Manhattan. We consider it an amenity--someone to hold packages, keep an eye out for strangers in the building and doings on the street, maybe hail a cab depending on the building, open the door when you're hands are full, etc. And they are not security guards, but they are wonderful deterrents to crime and mischief, both in the building and on the streets outside. But like I say, a doorman is considered an amenity that you will pay for, but not a luxury (unless you really are living on Park Ave.)

And yes, there are plenty of New Yorkers who don't want someone to know everytime they come and go, or who's visiting them. As if their lives were that interesting!

[rah]

There are definitely doormen in SF. Go to some big luxury apartment buildings, and you'll find some. Most people in SF are not wealthy though, and don't live in huge upscale apartment buildings....so it's not like doormen are that common overall. It's not like every apartment building in NYC or Chicago has them either.

[mini_cute]

Originally Posted by citylove101

Wandering the big city by the bay here and also reading a recent thread about crime in the city and why citizens should or should not own guns as protection against home invasions, it seemed to me that I've seen very few large apartments with doormen. A 24/7 doorman is a huge deterrent to burglaries and home invasion as well as putting more eyes on the street. Yet it seems few big buildings here, old or new, have them.

Many large upscale buildings in New York or Chicago have doormen. But not here from what I've seen. Am I just looking in the wrong places or is it a tradition here? I know it would be an added expense, but wouldn't people pay the added cost to feel safer?

Firstly, I want to point out that SF is not really a "big city" geographically. It is just 49 sq. miles. Yes, it is the second most dense city in the U.S. but covers a much smaller area. It is more equivalent in size to only the borough of Manhattan.

I know what you mean about the upscale buildings in NYC with doormen. Even ones that aren't that upscale, but mid-scale have doormen.

But there are increasingly more buildings in SF that have doormen. A luxury condo buildings in the South Beach and Mission Bay area have doormen. They aren't really doormen per se in that they stand by the door and hold it open for you. More like front desk/concierge/security rolled into one.

[Pietro25]

In my visits to New York I've seen the doormen and thought they looked ridiculous. Some of them wear tophats. Some of them dress like 19th Century train conductors. I've seen them walking other people's dogs. I've seen them open the door of an arriving taxi and tip their hat or salute as if they were greeting a foreign dignitary.

Why aren't there doormen in SF? Because the doormen custom is another Weird New York Thing.

[rah]

Originally Posted by Pietro25

In my visits to New York I've seen the doormen and thought they looked ridiculous. Some of them wear tophats. Some of them dress like 19th Century train conductors. I've seen them walking other people's dogs. I've seen them open the door of an arriving taxi and tip their hat or salute as if they were greeting a foreign dignitary.

Why aren't there doormen in SF? Because the doormen custom is another Weird New York Thing.

We do have some doormen in those funny old-timey suits and hats here in SF too, but only at some of the nice downtown hotels. Never seen them anywhere else.

[Devon011]

If you go to the South Beach area you will see a lot doormen

[jade408]

Originally Posted by rah

There are definitely doormen in SF. Go to some big luxury apartment buildings, and you'll find some. Most people in SF are not wealthy though, and don't live in huge upscale apartment buildings....so it's not like doormen are that common overall. It's not like every apartment building in NYC or Chicago has them either.

My cousin used to live in a not very upscale building and had a doorman in Chicago.