Fountain of Sorrow8/15/2011 I went to pick up my lunch and walked by this fountain as I have many times. Installed underneath stairs without any place to stop and contemplate the fountain, people walk quickly by without giving it a second glance. Once the decision was made to place it, I guess they felt the need to enclose the fountain to protect it from vandalism. So there it sits in splendid isolation.
The net effect is not a little sense of calm and repose, but of sadness. Good idea, wrong place.
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Asilomar - Julia Morgan Architect8/4/2011 Julia Morgan - Architect Asilomar was designed by Bay Area architect Julia Morgan as a retreat for the YMCA in the 1920's. She also designed Hearst Castle for William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon. While Hearst Castle was grand in every aspect, Asilomar was modest in both scale and materials making use of native redwood, stone, and shingles. Located next to Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove, the perfume of fresh sea air and pine trees permeate the grounds. The sands near the beach are wheelchair accessible and make for a great walk. Now Asilomar is owned and operated by the State of California as part of its State Park system. Modest rooms start at under $150 a night with no TV, telephone, or other distractions. It is primarily used as a conference center, although individual rooms are also available. Highly recommended. Back of the House - 17/28/2011 This is perhaps the most recognizable building in the world, but you only see photos of it from the front. Walk around to the back and another story is told. The front is clad in stone, but the rear has exposed brick. I'm not sure how this looked when it was originally built, but if there was stone here originally, it is now gone. Pantheon rear August 3, 2011 Update: I was looking at some of my other photos I took of the Pantheon and I clearly see remnants of old stone cladding over the brick which is now mostly gone. Front of Pantheon - Rome The Pantheon is the oldest building in Rome that has been in continuous use for 2,000 years. Click the photo for a link to a website describing the history of the building. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium - San Francisco The idea of saving money on the backside of the house isn't a new one. Here in San Francisco if you stand in the middle of Civic Center Plaza, all you can see are granite clad buildings. On the south side of the plaza sits Bill Graham Auditorium. Built in the 1920's by architects John Galen Howard, Frederick Meyer, and John Reid, Jr., it fills out one side of the plaza with historic classicism. Walk around the building, however and you will see the building clad only in brick. The back of the building is quite visible as you cross Market Street, so the decision to clad it in brick rather than granite was probably to save money. They turned the granite around the corner just enough to maintain the view from the plaza. The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin located at 2325 Union Street on the South-West corner of Union and Steiner Streets is one of my favorite buildings in San Francisco. Whenever I drive by I always take a look at the entry courtyard. Dating from 1891, it survived the 1906 earthquake. The interior is contemplative and restful with dark woods and luminous stained glass - a small intimate space. The location of the altar pictured above was originally the entrance off Steiner Street. The entrance was moved to the opposite end of the building to a courtyard off of Filmore Street (see below). I think the move was a good idea. The entry sequence through the courtyard is welcoming and provides a gathering place before and after services. Click on the photos below for a larger view.
San Francisco Art Institute7/20/2011 I was driving down a steep hill and saw this. No, not a hilltop village in Europe, but the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) hidden away on Russian Hill. Built in 1926 by the architectural firm of Bakewell Brown. It boasts a mural by Diego Rivera and many prominent artists have taught there. San Francisco Art Institute. A 1969 addition was completed by the architect Paffard Keatinge Clay. The addition is a good example of 1960's brutalist architecture of the time and complements the existing building. The rooftop plaza have magnificent views of San Francisco. Paffard Clay was an apprentice for Corbusier in Paris and his influence is clear in this addition. As I've blogged before, Paffard Keatinge Clay was a architecture instructor at UC Berkeley. You can see that blog by clicking here. Enter at your own Risk7/18/2011 Sacro Bosco - Bomarzo, Italy This doorway at Opera Plaza near San Francisco's Civic Center at 670 Golden Gate Avenue is left over from the former Vivande Restorante. It appears to be inspired by the post-renaissance garden Sacro Basco in Bomarzo, Italy and called Dante's "Gates of Hell". Here fantastic figures abound in this example of the mannerist movement dating from the 16th Century. It makes a memorable doorway for an Italian restaurant, but now it is a doorway to a mortgage company. You may feel a little queasy going in to sign your life away. Totally out of character for its current use and out of character for the entire building, I've always wondered why it is still there. It makes for an interesting doorway at any rate. San Francisco Main Library Handrail and Brackets I'm continuing my examination of handrails and brackets. I wrote about missed opportunities of the San Francisco Main Library and the architect I. M. Pei in May 2011. Since I'm always passing by the Main Library, I was there to pick up a couple of books on the 4th floor and went up the stairs. I hadn't noticed these handrail brackets with the little rectangular box attachment to the wall before. This was an interesting detail as it looks to be specifically designed for this building with its high round atrium "lobby". Beyond its simple geometric shape, I'm trying to discern how it fits into the overall design concept of the library. Not everything needs to have "meaning" but I was just wondering . . . Berkeley Post Office - Echos of the Past7/11/2011 On my way to a meeting with the Berkeley Planning Department, I passed one of my favorite buildings, the Berkeley Main Post Office at 2000 Allston Way near the Civic Center. Like many neoclassic public buildings of the late 19th and early 20th century, they are inspired by the renaissance buildings in Italy. The post office is clearly a descendant of the Foundling Hospital in Florence, Italy designed by the great architect Brunelleschi at the beginning of the renaissance. Consider one of the first renaissance buildings, it has inspired buildings around the world. The post office was designated an historical landmark in 1981. Not bad for a copy. Cobb Elementary School - San Francisco Follow-up note: Just two blocks down Pine Street is Cobb Elementary School - another descendant of the Foundling Hospital. Fashion statement on Valencia Street The evolution of design in architecture moves relatively slowly while the look of fashion, graphics and electronics can change almost overnight. Those who follow fashion will notice the slightest change in fit, color, length and other minor details that add up to the "new " look. I admit to being a little ignorant about fashion, but I follow an interesting blog called the Sartorialist started by a guy who photographs people on the street around the world. Sometimes trendy, sometime very ordinary, he photographs people who obviously pay attention to how they dress.
This guy on Valencia Street in the photo above obviously pays attention too. You don't just happen to roll your jeans up above your ankles, add a sport coat and run out the door. That's a big "look at me" statement. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's not. We all need a little self-knowledge and confidence to know what works. It's the same in designing buildings. If you design something that attracts attention, it better be good. I was walking along Valencia to a restaurant when this guy walked by me. I thought, what the heck and snapped a picture. This is my first attempt at a Sartorialist type photo. Check out his blog here. His photos and the look of the website are great. The Department of Public Health at 101 Grove Street is across the street from City Hall at the Civic Center. A sturdy bronze handrail with a curved support bracket is attached to the granite exterior at the entry steps.
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