Sunday, January 6, 2013 0 comments

Watch out for the POPOS


January 3rd 2013 was the start of a great taste of what the winner would do in Rome. Our Context contestants all took a trip to San Francisco to do a walking seminar on the architectures there. On the way to San Francisco there was surprisingly no traffic so we arrived there kind of early. While we had time we took a walk over to the St. Mary’s Cathedral, it was very inspirational and made me think of a comparison to this church and how the churches in Rome would look like. After that we took a trip down Chinatown and as we walked down and looked at all the different stores, Mrs. Everett  made me realize that there was more to it than a couple of stores on a street. There is a lot of history to how and why the Chinese arrived there, it was mainly because of the gold rush. After we briefly passed by Chinatown the biggest physical challenge of the trip occurred to us and we had to walk up a huge hill to reach the Coit Tower, by the time I got to the top I felt like death, but it was worth it because we all got a really good beautiful view of San Francisco. The travel down was way easier than the way up, but after it was over we walked to the Galleria park hotel to meet up with our walk guild Mr. Rick Evans. He took us to the top of that hotel and introduced us to a little secret about San Francisco; privately-owned public-open spaces or POPOS for short. He told us if a company owns a building in San Francisco they have to give a space of land back to the community for free, but because its for free the companies don’t want people to go there and mess it up because they would have to pay to take care of it, so they hide them. There are 56 POPOS in San Francisco so look out for them. Mr. Evans introduced us to a really famous architect named Mr. Willis Polk he designed the worlds first glass curtain wall on 130 Sutter Street, the Wells Fargo 1908 Banking hall, and Hobart Building that survived a earthquake. The best title for Willis Polk would be a master architect in San Francisco’s golden age of office buildings. We also walked and seen some other buildings made by other architect but I think Willis Polk was the most inspirational. As we arrived to the end of the walking seminar I stared to think about what a fun time I had and all of the new things that I've learned in such short time, and how that feeling would differ from being in Rome. -Malik Lee

Willis Polk


Hallie Building
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Steps Through the City


My dad lives in San Francisco so I am in the city every other weekend.  A lot of the places we visited and saw I often see on the weekends when I'm with my cousins on the trolley or bus but I had no idea of the rich history surrounding them. I learned that everything currently existing in San Francisco was built after the 1906 earthquake except St. Mary's Catholic Church. The church survived the earthquake and some say it was by God's divine intervention. Our tour guide, Rick Evans, told us about San Francisco's "POPO" policy. POPO stands for "Privately Owned Public Space." When a big company builds a structure in the city they are required to provide a space for the public. The catch is they are not required to inform the public of these areas. So when looking for POPO's in the city its kind of like a scavenger hunt. Within the past few years many profitable tech companies (like twitter, yelp, and apple) have moved their headquarters to San Francisco causing POPO's to pop up everywhere unbeknownst to the public.


For me the most interesting place we visited was the The Heineman or "The Narrow Building" because it serves as a landmark that I'm half way to my Dad's house from my Aunt's house. My cousin's and I always refer to it as the "anorexic building" because it is so skinny. The building itself is 20 feet wide and 80 feet deep and has 10 stories. It was built in 1910 as a factory manufacturing neckties, belts, and suspenders. The owners wanted people to know that they manufactured "skinny things" explaining why the building itself is so skinny. The Heineman building is now currently occupied by a nail salon. The owners are having a hard time trying to lease it out to anyone else because on the building's limited lighting. This weekend when I go to see my dad I am going to give him ass the fun facts about the building in San Francisco.

- Mecca Evans

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History was Around Us All Along



       What a lot of people don't see is the historical findings around them. People may understand that history is being made and that they are apart of it, but may not cherish what is in the past is in the future. Of course we are the future and what ever happens in the present makes the future, but also makes the past.

      Because I have lived in Sacramento for so long, San Francisco looked so different to me. That two hour ride away made it seem like I have transported into another dimension. San Francisco was another world to me. I have been there before, but I was so young I could barely remember. The chaperons and tour guide Rick Evans helped me realize that the earthquake and past wars is what made the architecture I've seen still be there today.

      The most interesting thing  I have seen on the trip was St. Mary's Cathedral. It was the very first historical building we entered before the actual tour and it blew my mind away. The famous earthquake of 1906 created such disaster, but didn't seem to take down the cathedral. What seemed to be so coincidental to me was that it was a church and churches are considered holy. Holy as in untouchable or ground breaking. The earthquake started fires that spreads over miles and destroyed many things leaving buildings in a crumble. The cathedral was the only building standing. Inside the building was colorful windows and nice statues which of course meant something. It all connected to the stories of Jesus. I believe it was destiny for the cathedral to stand through the earthquake and fate for it to be apart of such a miraculous history.

       Not only was the cathedral eye opening, but the architect Willis Polk created many buildings that seemed to create history. There was the world's first glass building, Hallidie Building, which is being constructed due to an accident in the past. The steel frame fell off the building and was forced to be rebuilt, but besides the accident it has changed history from building walls to being able to see through a glass wall showing the inside. Another named The Hobart building looks awfully wierd due to the open, blank, and non decorative wall shown on the left side of the building. It has a rooftop that looks as if there was a mini penthouse on top. Because of it's odd shape it is known as one of Mr. Polk's masterpeices.


       The entire trip helped me see the history people can overlook in their everyday lives. Polk's past helped us create new styles and fashion that gives us a better future and even though many people don't see that they are living around history. I am happy to say that I know the history that is created or already has been created today. This is only the beginning of a journey I hope to seek in the future.


--Meryssa Mayshack







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The City of Hills & Heights




I've been to San Francisco many times, but never like this. On Thursday, January 3rd, I met the city. I roamed the streets like never before, saw the lifestyles, and breathed the cigarette-polluted air. I was thrilled Thursday morning, not knowing what I would experience that day.

When arriving to the city of San Francisco, my eyes started to wander to the tall skyscrapers towering over the city. We had several hours to kill before the tour at 11 a.m., so we decided to go our own route. We walked through the streets of Chinatown. It was as if we entered into a whole different country. Vendors and shops were at every corner, and lanterns surrounding the sky. After walking through Chinatown, we reached an angled sidewalk that not only gave me a super calf workout but a beautiful view of the city. We reached the Coit Tower at last! The cylinder like tower held a beautiful Diego Rivera like mural that helped me envision the life of a working farmer. I appreciated the beauty and time the various artists took to complete the piece. After visiting the Coit Tower we walked through China Town once again to reach our next destination.

We then met our tour guide Mr. Rick Evans at Galleria Park Hotel. He took us three floors up to the roof of the hotel, without a clue to where we were going, the glass doors revealed a beautiful garden perfect for a lounging area. Turns out we were standing in a privately owned public open space also known as (POPOS). POPOS are open spaces given to the community from branches or companies that must provide an open space to the public in order to establish their companies where they desire. The catch is that most of these “public spaces” aren’t even public. Majority of the POPOS are purposefully hidden so that the companies don’t have to keep up with maintenance fees. In total there are 68 POPOS in San Francisco. Across from the “secret garden” stood five buildings, one of them included one that could hardly stand any longer. Mr. Evans compared all five buildings, explaining their differences and similarities. The very last building to the right was a beautiful red brick building that looked roughly modern; the next one over was painted a rusted green. The building on the left was under construction, which was once a beautiful glass building made by Willis Polk. This building though didn’t look so beautiful with a black net covering the hidden results so far. The last two buildings were a cream color, looking the oldest. The differences though caught me by surprise. Rick told us to look up and examine the different edges on the roof. These top edges are called “cornices”. Never before have I taken the time to really examine a full building from top to bottom. As I was admiring each cornice, I couldn’t help but think how much time it must have taken to construct each cornice in detail. Each cornice was different, which included drapery from clay, copper and even terracotta. After examining each building we walked through a connected food court by walking down a series of stairs, leading to the next POPO. We stopped to gaze at the following buildings surrounding the sky. The cornices there were just as beautiful; some including sculpted saints towering over the city. When in this POPO I noticed the unleveled buildings. Rick explained that in order to build a taller building next to an existing one, you would have to buy “Air Rights” from your neighbor.

We then took an elevator down to Wells Fargo bank. I loved how even before I walked into the building I was surrounded by beautiful walls that held carved faces and animals. When walking up a series of stairs, there stood a carved squirrel at the edge of the staircase. This little critter represents security for your money, just as it secures its nuts. When entering the bank, my eyes became glazed with such beauty I was gazing at. I have never seen such a beautiful bank! It was nothing like a bank I am used to, the floor was marble, the ceiling a crisp, gold color, and the lights, dim and warm. The bank felt welcoming without closure; it was an open space, made for trust. We then walked through a hallway that lead to an amazing row of elevators. The ceiling was breathtaking! It had warm tones and colors that felt comforting. The ceiling mural included Jewish and Arabic stars, birds and plants. Even the floor was amazing! The hallway floor included marble of 5 different colors. Mr. Evans pointed out a footprint from a captain that once worked there for 50 years! The man would stand in one place, leading the guests to the following elevators.

After exiting the Sutter building, we walked to the Crown Zellerbach Paper Company Building. This building was very modern and gorgeous; it’s almost hard to believe that it was built in 1959. The whole building was made of glass, standing on four concrete pillars. Everything from the glass to the outer tiles was imported from Italy! The building across the street though didn’t look so modern. The Shell Building was built in 1929, 30 years prior to its neighbor. The Shell Building was one of its last built, until modernization came along. It was amazing to take a picture from the modern building and looking into the reflection and seeing the past! It’s amazing how much architecture has changed over the years!

This trip to San Francisco helped me really appreciate the beauty in such buildings we tend to just pass by and not pay attention to. I would really like to thank our tour guide Mr. Rick Evans for teaching us all that he knows! I have learned so much about architecture and plan to share it with friends and family.

Thanks for reading,
Bethany Vidales
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Caved in Glass


            Today was another inspiring day through the historical architecture of San Francisco. Before our introduction with Mr. Rick Evans, we had a walk through a popular section of San Francisco with our chaperones. It was Chinatown;  of course we didn’t buy anything. We also walked through one of the steepest roads of San Francisco to get to Coit Tower  and trust me it had one of the most beautiful views in the world. Okay maybe not the most beautiful, but it had a really nice view of a little Italy in the city of San Francisco. Afterwards, while getting one of the most fascinating tours from Mr. Evans, I learned and saw San Francisco as it is today. We didn’t roam much in San Francisco but we traveled back in time to 1848 and the Gold Rush days all the way to the present. What interested me most during the tour was the architecture by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill named the Crown Zellerbach Paper Company Building made in 1959. 
            By 1959, San Francisco has moved onto modernism, especially due to Vandero in 1957. The Crown Zellerbach Paper Company Building was the second all glass building in San Francisco. What’s really interesting about glass architecture in San Francisco is that the first was constructed to be cheap and built fast. Made by a famous San Francisco architect named Willis Polk, the World’s first glass building, Hallidie Building, was built in 1917.  The people of San Francisco was astounded when they saw this masterpiece, I was too when I learned that UC Berkeley colors was incorporated into this unique and one time building. 
             It was a real great shame that this building was under construction due to the weak materials used, so I didn’t get a taste of how it looked with my own eyes. However, after 40 years we see again that glass has made reappearance in San Francisco. Made with, if you can guess, all Italian materials! The architect, Italian, the glass, Italian, the concrete, Italian, the stones, Italian, the little mosaics covering the elevator is Italian too. I wonder what the difference is between glasses made in America compared with those made in Italian. In truth, nothing is really different except the location where they are made. Why would the architect make sure everything had to revolve around Italy besides the fact that he was Italian? Maybe he was a chauvinist. Who knows? But, he was one smart fellow I tell you. When we stood outside the little lobby on the Italian stones, we were caved in Italy. Mr. Evans explained that there was a purpose to the way he set up the building and where it was located. There was a wall blocking the building from the street. But inside was a big open area. It wasn’t a POPOS (Privately Owned Public Open Space) though.
            It appears that the big leading companies in San Francisco are really scandalous! We learned that depending on how big the company these people own, the must give back to the community. By giving back, these big company owners have publicly opened spaces where everyone is able to come to. However, not much people know about these POPOS. The reason is because these company owners don’t want people to learn about them too.
            There were no seats, benches or chairs in the big open area of the Crown Zellerbach building. In addition to get to the elevator, which was coveted, a person would have to go through the little lobby that the whole building was on top of.  It was really apparent that Skidmore wanted to keep people out. I find that really mean. Anyone accomplished with a masterpiece with such a grand size should let others praise his work instead of leading them astray. But, when looking next door we really saw the time span of 40 years. 40 years that gone by and in a flash everything changed because it was the new era, the new “fashion”. It wasn't just next door but the reflection that makes me look and wonder if the next 40 years will again change and have a new fashion. 
 -Susan Vang   
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Its Always Better To Look Up...


                On November 3rd all of us contestants got a taste of what it will be like for the winner of the scholarship. We experienced an actual walking tour just a little over an hour from Sacramento… in the city of San Francisco. During the ride to San Francisco I kept going over in my mind what the tour might be like.  Traffic was on our side and we got to San Francisco really fast,  so fast that we were a few hours early.
Our first stop was St. Mary’s Church which miraculously during the 1906 earthquake managed to stay up when everything around it was turned to rubble.  The inside of the church was beautiful it almost reminded me of the cathedral here in Sacramento.  We saw a replica of Michelangelo’s famous sculpture “Pieta”.   I had no words when I thought that this church was still standing even though everything around it was destroyed it was truly amazing.  We walked through China Town and little Italy to Coit Tower. We had to walk up Telegraph Hill to get to the tower. Like in life the journey is difficult but once you reach your goal the view is great.  When we reached the top of the hill I saw all of San Francisco it felt like I was on top of the world.  After reaching the top of the hill we walked up to Coit Tower and the view was even more amazing. Coit Tower was created by a wealthy socialite who loved to chase fires throughout the city with the fire department her name was Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Inside of the tower they had a huge mural of the working class people. When we were done walking around the tower we headed back down the steep hill our legs feeling like jelly from the walk up.  
We walked back through China Town which was more packed than when we headed to Galleria Park Hotel to meet up with our tour guide, Rick Evans. When we met Rick Evans he first told us about how San Francisco was trying to change their city to be more pedestrian friendly one of the main goals was to get cars out of the city all together it was to be known as the Rincon area.  He told us that he would be showing us what that meant at the end of the tour. He started the tour by sending us on another climb up three flights of stairs which took us to the roof top garden. When we got to the garden it was beautiful and peaceful.  Imagine seeing a lot of buildings that look down on you.  He explained to us that the garden we were standing on was a POPOS (Privately Owned Public Open Space). San Francisco has 68 different POPOS all over the city.  He added that New York also has POPOS,  190 of them. He explained that for every building that is put up or owned the owner needs to give back to the public so that’s what these POPOS are they are privately owned space that is open to the public. Although they are open to the public they are usually hidden or no one knows about them.  
As Mr. Evans walked us over to the other side of the garden he pointed out 5 different buildings to us. The first building he pointed out was a brown brick building that was a street over from the hotel that really stuck out. He told us that it was the Bank of America building that went up in 1969. He told us that it was hated for being the tallest building in the city at the time it took everyone out of their comfort zone when they saw this huge building. Then soon after that the Transamerica Pyramid went up in 1972 and it was also hated and called “The Devils Spike”.  The Transamerica building was the first building to start the POPOS.  They gave a little piece of land back to the community by making a park around the building that was open to the public. Then he showed us 4 buildings that were right in front of us and they were of an older type of architecture unlike the Bank of America building and Transamerica Pyramid.  He showed us that with all these different types of buildings they all had something in common and that was the cornice. A cornice he explained was how an architect signed their building. He told us to look up more often to see the cornices on the buildings all of them were beautiful in their own way and each one was never the same. There was a specific building that he showed us that was under construction. It was the Halidie building which was built in 1917 and is one of the most famous buildings in architecture. It was the first building to have a glass wall. The building was designed by William Polk who decided to make his building look like a Glass Curtain wall.  This was a turning point in architecture as no one had ever done this before.  His creation later inspired the “Glass” to be a part of many new modern buildings we see today.
Mr. Evans took us to another POPOS.  This next one we reached without leaving the hotel we just passed on through this shopping center that was in between the two POPOS. This POPOS was on top of the Wells Fargo Bank, but it wasn’t always there. The building was originally built by William Polk in 1908. The floors above the bank were destroyed and air rights were bought that prevented anything from ever being built there again.  Then in 1983 a roof garden was created on top of the bank as a POPOS.  Mr. Evans showed some other different examples with buildings and air rights. One that really made me laugh was this little bakery that was right across the street from the bank that had a building built around it.  Preservationists made it clear that the bakery building was to never be brought down. So with that a building was built around the bakery and the building now has to pay the little bakery for the air that it’s using above the bakery.  This means that whether or not the bakery does well or not they will always receive money for the air rights.
We were then taken down to the bank.  It was funny because we were all squished into this elevator and then it jumped when we all were going down and everyone was scared it was too funny. When we walked out he showed us this HUGE VAULT and it was just like what they show in movies. He said that the vaults were usually kept somewhere where the people at the bank could show the customers the vault to make them think that their money was safe. Then he showed us this squirrel and said that usually at old banks look for a squirrel because it’s a symbol that all the money is safe. He showed us upstairs this beautiful ceiling and the inside with more symbols of griffins and eagles and angels. It was a beautiful bank. Then we walked through the bank to the next building still not ever going out on the street. The building was built in 1926 and not until 2005 did they find a painted ceiling due to cigarette smoke. That’s crazy and amazing but the paint looked perfect as if it had only been painted a few years before. He told us about an elevator captain that worked there for 50 years pointing to people which elevator to go to and then we looked down on the floor and HIS FOOTPRINT WAS IN THE FLOOR!!! I was seriously shocked that was probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen in my life.
We then scrambled down the street to go and see another POPOS which was more open to the public and not so hidden and secrecy. Then we arrived to the Crown Zellerbech paper company building. After 42 years another building with glass was being built. It was one of the newest forms of modern architecture.  We then saw the Shell building which was one of the last iconic buildings to be built before the depression. Mr. Evans told us that it’s awesome to see the old in the reflection of the new. When we looked into the reflection of the Glass Building the reflection of the Shell building was in it, like a reminder of what we used to be and what we are now.  Our tour unfortunately ended soon after that. Mr. Evans as promised showed us the Rincon District which was soon to be only for people and no cars. In one area we saw a lot of construction being built. He also let us know that most of it was being built  on land fill which is something I never knew before. He showed us the Rincon Hill South Tower and said if ever there be an earthquake a system was created where that building has a 50,000 gallon tank which is supposed to steady the building in case such a disaster would occur but it’s not known to work for sure because it’s never been tested. The Rincon area was to be a neighborhood of skyscrapers that won’t be done for a long time. It was interesting though to hear and see what advancements San Francisco is creating. That was the end of our tour.
I left that experience with a new respect and love for architecture and learned how much more it is connected to art than I thought. I was able to understand a lot of things that had confused me before. I definitely need to be careful walking now because I have been looking up to see buildings lately instead of ahead, but it’s neat to see the different types of buildings. I’ve got to say that day was a really good day I had fun and I’m thankful for the tour guide he was fun to listen to.  In all the times I’ve been to San Francisco I’ve never left it having the respect and inspiration I had when leaving on Thursday. I plan to go back and learn more it is more than just a Concrete Jungle.


-Courtney M. 
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City of 56 Secrets


It was the third day of this brand new year when my cohorts and I set out to the ever-growing city of San Francisco and all though I had been there several times before on various occasions, I had no idea that I was going to learn a whole new side of San Francisco I never knew existed. Our docent, Rick Evans who is an architecture historian, met us in one the oldest hotels in the city. The name of the hotel escapes me but the stories that Mr. Evans told us will forever be lodged in my brain. He told us that before cigarette laws were passed, the entire ceiling was covered in smoke and that it wasn’t until recently when the ceiling had revealed the beautiful sky view windows in the hotel lobby, which was kind of gross but I guess that’s how it was in the twentieth century.
We moved upstairs to a garden on the hotel’s roof, which seemed to be just a simple regular garden. It wasn’t until Mr. Evens told us that only a few people in all of San Francisco know about this garden and immediately a red flag went up in my mind. He went on to tell us that this garden is know as a Privately Owned Public Open Space, aka POPOS and that there are 56 places just like this one. Mr. Evans told us that POPOS are created after a company expands upon their property but in order to do that they must give back to the public in some way but they don’t have to tell the public anything. So although a company makes a privately owned public open space, they can choose to keep it a secret so that they will not have to pay for maintenance from other peoples mess on the space so in order to save money they keep the POPOS a secret, so to speak. Learning of this made me think of how selfish and hypocritical big businesses can really be. Although that not all POPOS are kept secret, the idea of making one for the public and not letting the public know about it is purely conceded, and now that I know of a few secrets in San Francisco, I wonder how many their might be Rome.    
-Devin Hunter
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The View from my View


Thursday the 3rd we went to San Francisco for stimulation on how it will be like in Rome, Italy. People will be pretty surprised to know it was my first time there. I kind of already had an idea of what it would be like. It was kind of like any other city: crowded in a way, distinct smells, trash tossed around, the scatter of homeless people, and then there is the beauty of the city. 


Before the tour started, Mrs. Everett and Ms. Mills took us sight seeing around the city. We went to China town and to Coit Tower. The walk to Coit Tower was PAINFUL! We had to walk up several steps and Stairs. I was exhausted. But when we got to the top it was worth it. The view was spectacular! I was able to see San Francisco from a different view. Then we had to walk back down but it wasn't as bad.

The tour started in Galleria Park Hotel Lobby. It was a beautiful place, rich with history. The group walked up three flights of marble stairs to a marvelous Rooftop Garden!  Most people don’t get to see it because they don’t know where it is. As the tour progressed we saw another Rooftop Garden above a Wells Fargo bank. This garden had a fountain and more views of the city!  We went into the bank which was down right gorgeous. It had several symbolisms that were there to ensure the clients that their money was safe. It had griffins, squirrels, and many others. The bank was huge with beautiful décor. We were not allowed to take pictures of it; I would have loved to though. We went into another building on 111 Sutter. In there people had restored a painted ceiling in 2005 that they had no idea existed because it was hidden in layers of cigarette smoke.  The ceiling is unique because it has about three different types of stars in it. 
Another interesting thing about this building is that a man who worked the elevators for 50 years left his foot imprint in the marble floors from all of his directing and greetings.  We saw various other buildings. One building that I liked besides the Wells Fargo one would be the Crown Zellerbach Paper Company building built in 1959. It was the first glass building. It was made of Italian materials from the glass of the building to the stones on the ground. It had a mosaic-covered tower where the utilities were hidden. The plaza area had a fountain which accented the unique architecture of the building.  

Another reason I liked this building was because it was built near the Shell Building made 30 years prior. On one side of the building the Shell Building is reflected onto the glass of the Paper Company building which shows the old and new together as one.  The last thing we saw was the new buildings being built and what was happening to San Francisco. San Francisco is going to have an area where no cars will be allowed. Also a bullet train is being built which will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles.
After that long day we went to go eat at the mall. I had some Thai food that was so good especially after a long day. When I got home I was so tired, it didn't take me long to get to sleep.
This trip was very informative and it really prepared me for the trip to Rome, Italy if I am chosen.
~Jessica M.
Saturday, January 5, 2013 0 comments

Soo much in the City!



Bustling with Skyscrapers, business, people, food, history and so much more it is a place that you have to see to believe. The trip to San Francisco this Thursday was phenomenal. The city of San Francisco is beautiful from Old St.Marys church to the Crocker Center and One Rincon Hill South Tower. The city truly does have something for everyone with the past, present, and future right before your eyes. The city is culturally rich with places like Chinatown, Little Italy and the city's financial district all within walking distance from each other.

 On the tour everything amazed me however; the places that truly caught my eye were the Crocker Center and the Wells Fargo Bank. This building was originally created in 1908 by Willis Polk. One side of the building contained a rooftop garden that overlooked the financial district and the smallest preserved building in the city. In its original state the building contained an additional ten stories. However, the upper ten stories were eventually destroyed and the garden now serves as a POPO (privately owned public space). Below the distinct roof top garden is the Wells Fargo Bank. As I stepped out of the elevator I noticed that the vault was heavily decorated and later learned that all of the decorations on the vault door were only for appearance. When the vault was used to keep people's money the decorations made people feel as though their money was safe.  As we turned to walk up the stairs there was a carving of a squirrel at the base of the stair case. The sight of a squirrel holding a nut in its hand in the setting of a bank was quite humorous. I later learned that the squirrel also had meaning. The symbol of the squirrel was used to encourage people to save their money just like squirrels collect and save their food. Our tour guide Rick Evens told us that the irony of this is that squirrels only have a ten minute memory and I could not help but laugh. As we approached the second floor of the bank the main entrance, the floor was also heavily decorated with colors of gold and beautiful tile patterns below my feet. Again there were symbols and carvings of animals. I learned that the symbol of the griffin represented protection of the money. There were symbols of griffins everywhere. The information struck me by surprise because I thought that griffins were bad. As we walked inside the bank I saw that the bank had colors of gold in the ceiling and there were no walls. Everything was out in the open and this was done to show the customers that the people keeping the money were honest.  The transparent layout of the bank also ensured people that there was no one counting money behind closed doors reiterating the idea of honesty. I also saw that there was a top section in the bank elevated above everything else and that section is where the boss would sit. As we were leaving the bank there was one more stop where we observed the hand painted ceiling and the elevator captain's foot print. The building was a piece of artwork literally from top to bottom. The hand painted ceiling had colors of gold, red and, earth green. The room also had bohemian inspiration with golden chandeliers and tile imported from Italy. The room was created perfect and the only flaw was the best part. The foot print that was created by the elevator captain, he did the same job for fifty years in the same spot. Pretty amazing! Sadly however, Rick explained that places such as the bank would not be kept around 50 years from now.  People just don't hold value in places such as the banks and with everything going viral there is less need to keep places such as the Well Fargo Bank.  Despite that unfortunate fact it was awesome to see the city in a light that I had never seen before.

 It was also great because there is so much you can learn within such a small radius. Until Thursday I did not know what a cornice was or that the city even had a place called One Rincon Hill South Tower. I have a new found appreciation for the city of San Francisco. The knowledge I gained I haven't stopped telling my family and friends about. San Francisco is innovative and sets the standard for cities across America.

 Ironically in today’s Sacramento Bee, the City of the Vatican is having problems taking ATM and credit cards.  It is interesting that we saw the history of a bank in San Francisco up close and now the city that we have come to learn more about is having problems and may only accept cash for now.  Wow!
Taylor Mitchell
                                          

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New Year, New Scene

        

 

              I woke up ready for yet another trip to San Francisco, my mom is from SF so we come to the city countless times a month. Honestly I was under the impression that I have seen most of what the city has to offer. After arriving we strolled around through China Town, St. Marys Cathedral, and climb to the top of Coit tower already feeling tired we were just about to start the tour. We met our guide Rick at the hotel and the moment we were all awaiting was about to begin, he went over several points in the city from the Hallidie Building to the beautiful Wells Fargo (Crocker Center).  He went in to depth on each building and detail making all the stops that I have walked past several times seem as though my past trips to SF were a blur.
             Every single point he made caught my attention but the POPOS and Rincon Hill South Tower stuck out the most. The POPOS stuck out for the simple fact that the idea behind them are pure genius, such a moral people need to live by if you take away you need to give back. I see the POPOS as more than just following a law but as a gesture of love to the huge cities that these building are being built in. The Rincon was breath taking, for being such a visual person I saw the entire vision as Rick pointed out and showed pictures, I imagined the families of CEOs and rich people that would live there. The fact that all of these building took so much creativity and arts to create made the Rincon sound like a place I will hope to live someday. Each building that was brought to our attention made me really take architectural design in consideration because I never understood how arts are so related. Only walking roughly 5 blocks I felt as though the entire past, present and future of San Francisco had all sat right before my eyes, it was the most amazing tour I’ve ever been on in my life.
     Future Rincon Resident,
                                      Faith Virgen
 
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