The "Master Architect" - Exploring San Francisco With Rick Evans

Having been on the Chinatown tour last year, I was excited to participate in a whole new adventure with Rick Evans. I really enjoyed Chinatown, and I was glad the tour on Wednesday was a new experience. Walking down Grant Street in Chinatown, camera in-hand and surrounded by new faces, awakened a sense of deja vu within me. The familiar smells, sights, and sounds bombarded my senses and brought back a wave of memories. The hike up to Coit Tower was also a first for me and quite the workout. Just the thought of it now is making my calves burn. However, with a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge and most the city, the journey was definitely worth it.

View from Coit Tower
Photograph By: De'Rael Edwards 

After the trip to Coit Tower, we made our way to La Boulange, a French restaurant in San Francisco for “lunch”. Since it was technical still breakfast time, I ordered an omelette and sat next to Rebeca. We talked about our lives and recent events, and enjoyed our food and the delicious aroma of various smells. After the meal, Mrs. Mills ordered us a large variety of French Desserts. My favorite, of course, was the Macaroon. So delicious in fact, I didn't mind paying for more of the little, overpriced cookies. After we were all full and rejuvenated, it was time to make our way back to the Galleria Park Hotel to finally begin our tour.

My first Macaroon

Photograph By: De'Rael Edwards

During the tour, Rick Evans took us all around San Francisco showing us beautifully designed buildings and astonishing works of architecture and the rich history behind them. My favorite buildings from the tour were that of the architect Willis Polk. Willis Polk is known as the “master architect” for his great revolutions in architectural design. The Hallidie Building, for example, is one of his many masterpieces that flipped conventional architecture on its head. Built in 1917, this building was ahead of its time, boasting the world’s first glass curtain wall and the first building ever to possess a steel frame. Polk used this building to mock the Victorian style of architecture and called about a change to a more modern look.

The Hallidie Building
Photograph By: De'Rael Edwards

Another masterpiece by Willis Polk is the Hobart Building, built in 1914. From afar, this building somewhat resembles a misshapen piece of cake. The building next to it violated the air rights limit. That building was then torn down, resulting in a very visible “exposed wall” as if the building was split directly down the middle. Trust me, you can't miss it. The top of the building resembles a little house which covers the pipes on the roof. The steam from the pipes then comes out of a chimney on top of the house, an original design that has never been recreated.

Wednesday’s trip was fantastic and I would like to thank Rick Evans for another informative tour. I can’t wait to return to San Francisco and find more of those hidden POPOS. I especially love how close the nine of us have gotten. I believe this trip has solidified our friendships and has brought us closer together. Imagine if it were possible for all nine of us to win the scholarship… wouldn’t that be amazing?

~De'Rael          

Note to Self: Smoking is a Good Thing

San Francisco Panorama
Wikimedia Commons: Adbar (Own Work)

111 Sutter
Wikimedia Commons: Sanfranan59 (own work)

Yes, I know you have just read the title and are probably thinking that I am completely off my rocker, but I can promise you that the following will be…well…you’ll just have to wait and see. I recently had the privilege of traveling to San Francisco and taking part in an architecture walking tour. Because I am aware of my audience, I am a little hesitant to note that this tour was more like a “lets-walk-until-your-limbs-fall-off” tour. However, I must add that this educational walk was one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had in my life. All jokes aside, the goal of the tour was to discover the gems and hidden treasures of San Francisco concerning architecture.

While I did feel like I was dancing in a gold mine as our guide shot out facts about several architecture wonders around the city, I shouted “EUREKA” when I came across 111 Sutter. Built in the year 1926, in French Romanesque elegance, 111 Sutter served as an office building. At the time of its completion, 111 Sutter was unique and controversial because its design employed a characteristic European style, which was taboo for an office building during the time. However, this French Romanesque building had more secrets than it cared to share. To uncover them, let’s travel back to the year 2005.







Lobby ceiling inside 111 Sutter
SF Gate: Darryll Bush

Imagine you are commencing your daily cleaning routine of the foyer’s ceiling (quite black in color). Suddenly, beyond the black film you notice a faint color? Could it be? But this ceiling has always been black? Or has it? 111 Sutter’s biggest secret, its gold nugget is revealed. Thousands of toothpicks (yes, the ones you clean your teeth with) were used to uncover a gorgeous and altogether symbolically painted ceiling inside the great French Romanesque building. To stand under such an old painting, which was just been uncovered recently, felt like I had gone back in time. And what do you think that lovely black film was? You guessed it (or maybe you didn’t). It was smoke from nicotine filled cigarettes and cigars. During the 20^th century, smoking inside a building was quite popular, and as result, the smoke collected around the painting, obscuring and hiding its beauty. But like a gem lost under seas of dirt, the painting was protected from deterioration until its discovery in 2005. Who new such a harmful substance could lend such a gentle hand to the environment. Maybe…smoking isn’t such a bad thing after all.





SF is a Show oFf!!!!

A view of San Francisco from the Tower

 At 7:45 AM we all got in our cars and started to drive toward San Francisco. During the car ride, I could see that people was eager to go on the tour and find out more information about San Francisco. There was never a time where there was silence in the car. That helped me greatly because it made me get familiar with the people I would be talking to during the tour. This trip provided a bonding experience; we really had fun on the tour. Another great experience was when we got a chance to taste France even though we was 5,560 miles away. I ended up with a Provençal BLT; a BLT that had goat cheese on the inside of the breads, aioli, and ciabatta. At first I was hesitant to try the sandwich, but when I got a chance to sit down and eat the 

Provençal BLT

sandwich, I just fell in love with it. The taste put me in heaven. My French food  experience just didn't end there. I was also able to taste some of France's favorite desserts. We all got a chance to taste napoleon, macaron, cancele, and other fruit tarts. The macaron and the cancele were the best. The macaron looks like an Oreo cookie with a creamy filling in the middle. The cancele is a cake pastry that has a soft warm filling in the middle of the pastry. When you take a bite into the pastry, it feels like you are laying on clouds.  

At 2 pm, we meet our tour guide named Mr. Rick Evans at the Galleria Park Hotel also known as the Sutter Hotel. At the end of the tour, we have found ourselves looking at 10 or more interesting architectural landmarks in San Francisco. We ended at where the shore line of San Francisco started, South Market Street. Last year, we went on a similar walk to Chinatown. I thought that the tours was going to overlap with each other, but it didn't. I really surprised me, because I thought that the Chinese had a lot of influences on the architectural designs. All of San Francisco's architecture was created after the earthquake and fire that happened after 1906. All of these buildings are still up today. I can type until my fingers fall off about San Francisco, but much of what I know is common knowledge.  There are, however, five things I learned about that I believe make my knowledge of the city more than common... 

#5-50,000 gallon water tower on top of residents houses 

Photo Credit: Khunti 

 Yes, there's a 50,000 gallon water tower that is on top of 425 First Street. Also called the One Rincon Hill. which is homes to a lot of residents that is willing to pay over $920,000. This is a residential complex that is 60 stories high and have high speed elevators that can get you to floors quicker than average elevators. The 50,000 gallon water tower helps the skyscraper survive high-winds and earthquakes. I would like to live in these apartments because I will be able to see the view of the bay bridge and I'm also able to witness the making of a new transit station, park, and a 90 stories building in the middle of San Francisco. The two reasons why I'm not living their today is because I'm not old enough to live by myself and also I don't have $920,000 to be spending on an apartment.  

#4-UC Berkeley owns a building created by Willis Polk 

Photo Credit: Roynell Anderson

Now those wondering who Willis Polk is or how can UC Berkeley own a building, just hold on I will answer those two questions and many more. Willis Polk was an American architect that created most of San Francisco's old and famous buildings today. Called Hallidie Buildings which is located at 130 Sutter Street. During this time, the government of San Francisco paid Polk to do what he want to do to the architecture. I wish that San Francisco did not give him that much power because if you go to down Sutter Street, you will see a big blue and gold building in the middle of these pale buildings. Majority of the people that takes Mr. Evans' tour, says that the building is ugly and it was, that's the reason why nobody

wanted to buy the building until 1924, making it the World's first and only glass curtain building to be sold to an university. Let's give UC Berkeley a big hand, for owning such a beautiful masterpiece. Willis Polk will be so proud. 

#3-Borrowing/Buying airspace!?!?!!?? 

Example of floor added to buildings 

What is an airspace? Good question. Airspace is the land that building owns for their buildings. They are able to sell their airspace to the building right of them or to the left of them. For example, if you have a zoning area of 30 floors and only use 12 floors. You are now able to sell those airspace to one of the buildings that is on the side of you. Not in front of you or in the back of you. That's a No-No. It will mess up the zoning because each block have a pacific amount of airspace they can have on that block. Now what happen if a building on the right of me already used up their limit of 30 floors? That's another good question. If a building on the side of you have used all of their airspace, then you are able to sell it to the building and they will just start adding onto the amount they already have. Which is bad for the city because each block have their own zoning limit, but good for people that is eating lunch on popos because they are able to shade themselves from the sun and enjoy their lunch. 

Map of POPOS

#2-POPOS-My favorite place to go 

What comes to minds thinking of the world popo?  Some think of police, but that's not the popo I'm talking about. No, this popo stands for Private Owned Public Owned Spaces. There are over 56 popos over the city of San Francisco. The only reason why you don't hear about these popos

 is because they for the public, but also they are private owned by companies. It's smart because the city is making the corporations pay for taxes on the popos. I have never heard of a popos until now. Whenever I get a chance to go back to San Francisco, I'm going to take my family and friends up to the popos and look at the view of the city. If you want to see a map of             the popos: http://www.localecology.org/images/popos_SF.pdf 

#1-INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION all over again 

By the year 2016, San Francisco is suppose to be the most populated, smartest, and have the most technology businesses.  Some of these would be a station where the bullet train will be at, a park on the third floor, and a mall on the first floor. The item that I like the most about the remodeling of San Francisco, is that they are making a bullet train that travels from San Francisco to Los Angeles in two and a half hours. That's impressive. I will be the first one to get on that bullet train. I also like that big technology companies present and growing in San Francisco. My dad and I are geeks and nerds, and we love the activities and culture that comes with the technology in San Francisco. By the technology companies coming in, it will bring more people into San Francisco and then it will be the wealthiest city in America. I hope San Francisco has enough homes for these people. If they don't, then they should start building them. If you would like to the planning of the bullet train and the ideas they have for the park and bus stations, just check out: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/ and http://transbaycenter.org/interactive 

Visual of San Francisco's transit station

My trip to San Francisco was the best trip that I have ever gone on in years. I really liked the car ride there and back because we was able to bound as a group and we learned a lot from and about each others. If I had to compare Chinatown to the architectural walk, I will probably pick the architectural walk. Both walks where fantastic and Mr. Rick Evans is a great tour guide but the bullet train and the POPOS stand out to me the most.  That concludes my blog. If I don't go to Paris, I will like to thank Context Travel for the opportunity to do this program. I will also like to thank Ms. Everett and all the seminar's teachers. I have learned a lot from the seminars and I will use them in the future, whether I go on the trip or not. If I do go to Paris, that's a good thing because that means I won and also I get a chance to write more blogs. YAY! Thank you for everything you have done, Context Travel. It have been a fun ride. 

-Roynell Anderson