Rincon 20

Wikimedia commons: By Lteelim
"Americas Greatest City By The Bay at Union Square, San Francisco, CA"

The first Thing I noticed as we drove into San Francisco was the old and new buildings next to each other. Condensed together, wall by wall, street by street, uneven heights and different structures. Cars everywhere, people walking up and down the streets looking through the store windows. I walked into an unknown city and left my heart in San Francisco. I found myself in a city rich with diversity, innovations, and beauty.

As a senior, going to college next year I have developed a desire to major in business and own my real estate agency. My goal is to build healthy families and communities. San Francisco might just be the place for me to seek great business opportunities. My ideal Rincon 20 will be 120 stories high and be designed by Willis Bolk. I would let him decide on the exterior design and materials. Basically everything! Maybe I am exaggerating on the 120 stories high and hiring Bolk since he died in 1924. However, if he were still around or if I would of been born in his generation, I would of liked it if he designed Rincon 20 but without the glass curtain like on the Hallidie building. Bolks designs are unique and symbolic. Through the Hallidie building architecture, Bolk send a message of leaving the past and going to the future with a different perspective. The symbolic message I would have with Rincon 20 would be similar to Bolk; to leave cliche and go unique.

Wikimedia Commons: Willis Bolk
Photographer unknown

The interior will be abstract and complex to reflect how people are inside filled with many emotions and experiences that they might not understand and that confuses them. The exterior will be normal and similar to Rincon 1 to show that the exterior appearance does not define everything. The hallways will be filled with different types of art made by the public that reflect on how they feel and see the world. These arts will be open to different interpretations which can be complex or simply straight to the point. The appearance of Rincon 20 will be unique to reflect on how every individual is different. I know that the art in Rincon 20 might not live up to the standards of the human judgment and not be as good as Picasso and Matisse. However, this characteristic will define my perspective of life: that everyone should be accepted for who they are inside.

 If I had to buy air rights to add space to Rincon and then give back to the public with a privately own public open space (POPOS) I wouldn't make it a secret. The POPOS in San Francisco are secret gardens usually on roof tops and at times not open to the public on weekends. On Wednesday as I stood on the rooftop POPOS, I felt relaxed. I suddenly forgot about my problems at home and I focused on that moment. It was a great feeling all I could think of was, how can a beautiful place by kept away from the public and not always available? While I was feeling the breeze brush against my face, I thought about life and how I would like to have a place like that to just reflect on whatever is on my mind.

Wikimedia Commons: One Rincon hill By Daniel Ramirez

I found everything interesting especially the way history and modernism in buildings went together and have made up a wonderful, meaningful city. I know that Paris values history through the buildings, beautiful sites, and art museums. I would look forward to understand and learn about the city of Paris just by connecting the architecture of buildings to the history of Paris  and other things that make up Paris. It is amazing how much I learned about San Francisco in just two hours. Imagine in Paris! Having two tours a day with amazing people like Rick Evans, experts in different topics. It was an amazing experience and with everything I learned, I developed my ideal Rincon 20. A place where people can express their feelings and identity through any type of art form and then give them a place to reflect on life. Rincon 20 will reflect on the people, how would your ideal Rincon be like?  

-Rebecca Vargas