Nothing symbolizes the rise, fall and revitalization of the Tenderloin like the Hibernia Bank building.

The grand, gray lady of Tenderloin buildings, commanding the corner of Jones Street just steps from Market, the Hibernia was constructed in 1892 and was famous for surviving the 1906 earthquake and fire. For years afterward, it was a gilded gateway to a now-bygone era.

Kathy Looper, who runs the nearby Cadillac Hotel, remembers visiting the bank in the 1950s when she was a little girl.

“There was a doorman in a red coat with white kid gloves,” she said. “And as you came up the steps he would open the door so women wearing their white kid gloves wouldn’t get them dirty.”

But in 1985, the bank left the building. And after a few years of use as the Tenderloin Police Station, the structure fell on hard times. For years, the sidewalk in front was the place to go to sell stolen goods and buy drugs. In 2013, the building, now an official historic landmark, was marred by graffiti.

Residents were outraged at the tagging, but it also seemed to reinforce the idea that the classic structure, with its marble floor and domed stained glass ceiling, was beyond hope.

But this week, after $15 million in renovations and earthquake retrofitting, the Hibernia is open, available and ready for a new tenant. On Monday, Tenderloin residents were invited to tour it.

“As big as it is, the building kind of got forgotten for a while,” said project manager Nigel Black. “We wanted the community to have a look.”

The renovation is, in a word, spectacular. The marble floors are polished, new stained glass has been installed, and the gilded plaster walls and ceiling have a golden glow. The overhaul will surely have a positive effect on the neighborhood, especially when teamed with the redone Renoir Hotel just across the street. That job is supposed to be done in about a year.

It should be said that the site isn’t for every tenant. The main lobby is a huge space, some 8,000 square feet, and more is available in offices and upstairs rooms. It might be a spot for a food court or an expanding tech startup.

But we can say that the Hibernia has one feature other locations can’t match — two walk-in bank vaults. Black says the giant safes are in great shape for their age, but says nobody has managed to get one of them unlocked — which gave him the idea for a customer promotion.

“Everyone who comes in can have a go at getting it open,” he said.

Muni critic (literally): Chronicle movie reviewer Mick LaSalle learned an important lesson about public transit in San Francisco on Monday — it’s not always fair.

LaSalle, who admits he is an infrequent Muni rider, took the L-Taraval to work because his car is in the shop. He says he got on, paid in cash and rode to the Powell Street Station. But when he got off, he was confronted by a fare inspector who wanted to see his transfer slip.

LaSalle says he never considered getting a transfer because he was going straight to his destination. Basically, he was told “tough luck,” and was given a ticket.

The fine? Try $112. And the San Francisco budget office thanks you.

The Warriors, UCSF and the neighborhood: It will be interesting to see if the aggressive land purchase and expansion of the UCSF campus in Dogpatch, detailed by The Chronicle’s J.K. Dineen, will hurt support for the Mission Bay Alliance.

The alliance, a group of wealthy UCSF biotech developers, is stubbornly fighting the construction of the Golden State Warriors’ proposed arena in the neighborhood. Their pitch has been that the arena site must be “land-banked” to preserve the UCSF campus.

But UCSF’s expansion into Dogpatch — after UCSF gave the residents the impression that it would not expand past Benioff Children’s Hospital — is definitely a hot topic. Mark Dwight, who owns Rickshaw Bags there, said, “Our neighborhood feels threatened and betrayed by UCSF officials. It seems they now see Dogpatch as their expansion domain.”

So, if you live in the Mission Bay/Dogpatch area, would you rather support a multipurpose arena with lots of entertainment and sports events for the whole neighborhood, or another aggressive land grab for a generic biotech structure? Stay tuned.

Annals of crime: For all the talk of taking measures to crack down on car burglaries, the smash-and-grab beat goes on.

From April 20 to May 3, there were 56 car burglaries reported in the Central Police District — four a day. The Central District includes North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown. In other words, places where tourists would be parking.

So, thanks, folks. Hope you enjoyed your stay.

C.W. Nevius is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His columns appear Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: cwnevius@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cwnevius