28
0SPUR SPUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair Board Members Anne Halsted Carl Anthony
Veronica Bell Executive Chris Block Vice Chair Larry Burnett David Friedman Michaela Cassidy
Madeline Chun Vice Chairs Charmaine Curtis Alexa Arena Oz Erickson Andy Barnes Manny Flores Emilio Cruz Geoff Gibbs Bill Rosetti Gi llian Gillett Lydia Tan Chris Gruwell v. Fei Tsen Ed Harrington
Dave Hartley Secretary Aidan Hughes Mary Mccue Chris Iglesias
Laurie Johnson Treasurer V.J. Kumar Bob Gamble Susan Leal
Dick Lonergan Immediate Past John Madden Co-Chair Jacinta Mccann Linda Jo Fitz Hyrdra Mendoza
Ezra Mersey Advisory Council Terry Micheau Co-Chairs Mary Murphy Michael Alexander Jeanne Myerson Paul Sedway Adhi NagraJ
CHAIRS & COMMITTEES
Program Regional Commltt11s Planning
Ballot An ly~ls Larry Burnett
Bob Gamble Libby Seitel
Disaster Pl nnlng Optr1tlng Laurie Johnson Commltltts Chris Poland
Audit Housing John Madden Ezra Mersey
Building Lydia Tan
Hanagem .nt Project Review Larry Burnett Charmaine Curtis
Business Mary Beth Sanders
Membership Reuben Schwartz
Tom Hart Tran ·portallon Terry Micheau Anthony Bruzzone
Executive Water Polley David Friedman Bry Sarte Anne Halsted
SAN JOSE ADVISORY BOARD
Teresa Alvarado Garrett Herbert Andy Barnes Karla Rodriguez Chris Block Lomax J. Richard Braugh James MacGregor Larry Burnett Connie Martinez Brian Darrow Janine Mccaffery Gordon Feller Anu NataraJan
2 JULY 2013
Brad Paul Rich Peterson Chris Poland Teresa Rea Byron Rhett Rebecca Rhine Wade Rose Paul Sedway Victor Seeto Elizabeth Seitel Carl Shannon Chi-Hsin Shao Doug Shoemaker Ontario Smith Bill Stotler Stuart Sunshine Michael Teltz Mike Theriault Will Travis Jeff Tumlin Molly Turner Steve Vettel Francesca Vietor Fran Weld Allison Williams Cynthia Wilusz Lovell Cindy Wu
Finance Bob Gamble
Human Resources Mary Mccue
Individual Membership Bill Stotler
Investment Ann Lazarus
Major Donors Linda Jo Fitz Anne Halsted
Planned Giving Michaela Cassidy
Sliver SPUR Dave Hartley Teresa Rea
Dr. Mohammad Oayouml
Robert Steinberg, FAIA
Lydia Tan Kim Walesh Jessica Zenk
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Making Historic Preservation Work in San Francisco
San Francisco is celebrated for its progressive history, distinctive architecture and phenomenal geography. Its buildings have been
endlessly admired: the Painted Ladies of Alamo Square, the gracious
Victorian and Edwardian structures found in so many neighborhoods,
and the fabulous City Hall capped with a golden dome. The city also has a rich cultural history - it 's home to waves of immigrants from
Latin America, China, Japan, the Philippines and many other countries;
a beacon for the gay rights movement; and the birthplace of the radical
culture of the 1960s, which put the corner of Haight and Ashbury on the
map. San Francisco has much to be proud of and much to preserve.
San Francisco is one of the major centers in the region. Its population
- currently about 800,000 - is expected to grow to nearly 1 million by
Sarah Karlinsky
is SPUR's Deputy
Director
2035. The Bay Area as a whole is expected to add roughly 1.5 million people with in that same time frame. The question of where all these people will live is one we need to answer.
New homes and businesses will need to be built to accommodate this growth, and it 's important to the economic and environmental health of the Bay Area that they be built not
at the fringe of the region but in cities and neighborhoods with strong transit infrastructure.
San Francisco Architectural Heritage and SPUR teamed up to write this report on the
historic preservation process in San Francisco. Our report is rooted in two core values:
first, that it is critical to protect the historic fabric of San Francisco, and second, that it
is also critical to support growth and change in the right locations. Done right, historic
preservation is an effective tool for shaping growth in existing built environments and can
assist in achieving the city's goals regarding growth. One example is San Francisco's 1985 Downtown Plan, which preserved many fine historic bu ildings while allowing for transit-
oriented development in the downtown core.
Our report discusses three aspects of historic preservation: surveys, which are used
to identify historic resources; historic districts, which provide regulations that protect
historic resources; and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is used to identify environmental impacts, including impacts to historic resources. We hope this
report will help create rules and guidelines that are clear, fair and transparent. resulting in a
preservation process that works better for everyone.
In this issue, we are excited to present a dazzling array of provocative examptes
of historic preservation. from the dramatic juxtaposition of old and new in the Daniel
Liebeskind-designed Contemporary Jewish Museum to the rehabilitated Ferry Building,
which instantly became a magnet for tourists and locals alike. This mixture of old and new
is the lifeblood of any city and can be seen in many forms: we invite you to enjoy it on the
streets of our city, in these pages and on view at "Adapt, Transform, Reuse," an exhibit at SPUR's Urban Center through August 30.
To read the report, go to: spur.org/ preservation•
Cover photo by Ethan Kaplan. The Urbanist is edited by Allison Arieft and designed by Shawn Hazen, hazencreative.com. THE URBANIST
I
•
JULY 2013
News at SPUR
Reforms to SF's City Budget Are Working As the economy continues to expand, revenue for city
services increases too. But in addition to the size of the
budget - $7.9 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1 -
we are benefitting from many positive financial planning
reforms that the city has put in place over the past five
years - often at SPUR's urging. As of this writing, the Board
of Supervisors is debating the mayor's proposed budget,
but we can say that the mayor has proposed to invest an
unprecedented level of General Fund resources in the city's
infrastructure ($190 million in total), including fully funding
the city's annual needs for street repair for the first time in
modern history ($40 million). The city is also setting aside
money in several different "rainy day" reserve funds to
help weather an inevitable future economic downturn. And
finally, we are now on a two-year budget process, requiring
greater financial discipline on the part of City Hall.
SPUR Helps Set the Agenda for the Economic Future of the Bay Area SPUR helped host two major
regional economic summits in May: one with the Bay Area
Council Economic Institute, the other with the Silicon Valley
Leadership Group. These gatherings were part of a series of 16 regional meetings held
throughout California as part of an economic development
THE URBANIST
process that will lead to a
statewide conference later this year. In San Francisco, SPUR's
Regional Planning Director Egon
Terplan presented on the HUD Grant Prosperity Strategy and
the challenges of connecting low
and-moderate income workers to middle-income jobs, while SPUR's Executive Director Gabriel
Metcalf discussed infrastructure and transportation needs across the Bay Area . The conversation
had a similar focus in Silicon
Valley. SPUR is hopeful that these
meetings can lead to greater opportunity and prosperity in the
region.
SPUR Team Kicks Off Ocean Beach Transportation Plan SPUR has selected a consulting
team to lead its Ocean Beach
transportation analysis project.
The team of Nelson/ Nygaard and AECOM brings a combination
of vision, design capacity and
technical prowess to the job.
This project will develop and
analyze the roadway and access recommendations in the Ocean
Beach Master Plan, which include
On June 20th, close to 1,500 urbanists
came to SPUR's member party to
celebrate their city.
SPUR Releases Recommendations to Transform the San Francisco Housing Authority The San Francisco Housing
Authority (SFHA) is currently
in crisis. There is no permanent
director, and the mayor has
completely reconstituted the
Housing Authority board.
In addition, the SFHA has a significant structural operating
deficit that is only projected to increase over time, as well as
insufficient funds to cover badly
needed capital improvements.
SPUR has released a set of recommendations to help ensure
that the city provides high-rerouting the Great Highway quality housing and services
behind the San Francisco Zoo and to SFHA residents in a way replacing it with a coastal trail. For that is financially sustainable more information on the master in the long term. To read the
plan, see www.spur.org/ initiative/ recommendations, go to spur.erg/ ocean-beach-master-plan. housingauthority •
JULY 2013 3
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Adapt, Transform, Reuse
Summary: The juxtaposition of
old and new enhances our urban fabric, amplifying the layers of
history that define great cities. Reimagining old buildings has
lead to the creation of some of
San Francisco's most loved places,
from the Women's Building to Mint
Plaza to the new Exploratorium.
Making use of the past can serve as a guide to the future of the city.
By SPUR and San Francisco Architectural Heritage
Great cities are built in layers: New buildings can help
reinforce older urban forms and old buildings can be reimagined to serve new uses. It is the juxtaposition
of old and new that gives cities their interesting
corners, their urban surprises, their texture. Imagine a city where time has stopped - no new buildings
are allowed to be built, and the ones that do exist
must retain their original use. Such a city would lose
its vitality due to lack of change. Imagine another
city where no old buildings or forms are retainedeverything is torn down and built new. This second
city would also lack vitality but for another reason -because it has no history, no soul.
At its best, historic preservation is a tool for
managing change by finding new uses to reanimate old buildings and assuring that new construction
relates to its surroundings. Sometimes, however,
preservation solutions are born of conflict and result·
in compromises that do not serve either the past or
the present. Historic preservation traces its roots to fine arts
conservation. The notion of preserving treasures for
civic benefit eventually expanded from painting and sculpture to buildings, landscapes, and places of
significant cultural memory.
People have passionate feelings about their
environment, sometimes expressed as a love for the
buildings or landscapes that currently surround them,
other times as a desire for change. Land use policy
is one lens through which these often-conflicting
desires resolve themselves. Preservation can speak
4 JULY 2013
to immediate concerns about the value of places that
are special to people today, serving as a guide not
just to the past, but also to the future of the city.
We celebrate the mixture of old and new as the
lifeblood of any city. These mixtures can be seen in many forms:
Adaptive Reuse -'- when old buildings are
repurposed for a use that they were not originally
designed to serve.
Incorporation - when elements of old buildings are incorporated into new buildings. This category
includes spolia (when bits and pieces of buildings are
preserved), facadism (when the facade of a historic structure is retained· but the rest of the building is
replaced) and encapsulation (when a historic building
is kept in its original location but surrounded on all
sides with newer, bigger construction).
Juxtaposition - when something new responds to,
but does not mimic the old. The contrast between old
and new defines and amplifies the qualities of both. This can be seen in additions to existing buildings, in
infill construction within a historic context and in the
relationship of new buildings to older urban forms
such as alleys or piers.
San Francisco has many examples of adaptive
reuse, incorporation and juxtaposition, which we
explore in the 14 examples below.
Photo by D.H. Parks (Flickr),
above; photo courtesy David
Baker Architects, facing page
Adapt/Transform/Reuse Task Force
Mike Buhler, San Francisco
Architectural Heritage
Jeremy Blakeslee,
Jeremy Blakeslee Photography
Noah Christman, SPUR
Laura Dominguez, San Francisco
Architectural Heritage
Sarah Karlinsky, SPUR
Chandler McCoy, Presidio Trust
Willett Moss, CMG Landscape Architecture
THE URBANIST
Adaptive Reuse San Francisco has many fine examples of old build
ings being used for new purposes. This process,
known as adaptive reuse, is not new to the city. In the 1950s, Jackson Square became one of the country's
earliest examples of adaptive reuse on a neighbor
hood scale when the former warehouse district was
recast as a premier "design district." Similar proj
ects soon followed, including the transformation of
Ghirardelli Square (a former chocolate factory) into a
festival marketplace in the early 1960s. Adaptive reuse enables buildings with great bones
to enjoy new life. All of the examples highlighted here involve some alteration to the interiors of structures
to accommodate new uses - be it offices, restau
rants. residential or retail. Attention to detail and a desire to be respectful of the past while embracing
the future, are hallmarks of a successful adaptive
reuse project.
THE URBANIST
Clocktower Building
Converting this former factory into
apartments introduced San Francisco to
the New York-style loft, foreshadowing the
transformation of the South of Market area
and demonstrating the tremendous potential
to reuse industrial buildings as housing. The
architect retained the bare concrete columns,
rough wood beams and steel windows as
part of the building's aesthetic character.
Planted interior courtyards and dramatic
stairs and bridges provide contemporary
elements that contrast with the historic
factory's heavy rectilinear form.
Original builder: Unknown (1907)
Contemporary architect: David Baker (1992)
JULY 2013 5
r
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Adaptive Reuse
Jackson Square
The 1950s transformation of.Jackson
Square from a warehouse district into the
city 's foremost design district came about
because prescient developers saw the
value in retaining the neighborhood as a
whole. During an era when urban change
was often implemented with a bu lldozer,
6 JULY 2013
Jackson Square pioneered adaptive reuse
on a neighborhood scale. In 1955, a reviewer
in Architect & Engineer proclaimed, "It
takes imagination, daring and faith to
see a blighted city area and visualize the
possibilities of its renaissance."
Photos by Jeremy Blakeslee
THE URBANIST
THE URBANIST JULY 2013 7
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Adaptive Reuse
8 JULY 2013 THE URBANIST
Photos by Bruce Damonte .
THE URBANIST
The Exploratorium
The Exploratorium's recent move to Pier
15 reaffirms the unique appeal of the
city's defunct finger piers as catalysts for
revitalization of the historic waterfront.
The museum, housed within the original
bulkhead and pier building, accommodates
four spacious galleries. The glass-and-steel
Bay Observatory - the only new structure
on the site - innovatively unites the
Embarcadero with the bay.
Original architects: G.A. Wood, H.B. Fisher,
A.W. Nordwell (1930s)
Contemporary architect: EHDD (2013)
Preservation architect: Page & Turnbull
(2013)
JULY 2013 9
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Adaptive Reuse
Photos by Ethan Kaplan
10 JULY 2013 THE URBANIST
House of Air
The U.S. Army's former airplane hangars on
Crissy Field posed a complex rehabilitation
challenge for the Presidio Trust. Fortunately,
the House of Air, a trampoline gymnasium,
offered a new use that capitalized on
this hangar's large, open interior, steel
trusses and slightly gritty character. New
components were skillfully placed within the
THE URBANIST
cavernous structure, with the architect riffing
on its aviation history to produce a bright,
playful interior where people can literally
take flight - if only for a moment.
Original builder· U.S. Army (1921)
Contemporary architect: Mark Horton
Architects (2011)
JULY 2013 11
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Incorporation The Modernist movement of the 1960s and early
1970s saw little value in old buildings and sought to
replace what they saw as "obsolete" or "unhygienic"
districts with a fundamentally new pattern. This
resulted in the demolition of old buildings. Urban
renewal initiatives were predicated on the idea of "slum clearance" to remove substandard
housing, which led to the demolition of entire neighborhoods-both the buildings themselves and
the social networks of the people who occupied
them.
The historic preservation movement emerged
out of a desire to respond to these practices and
assert the value of older buildings and of traditional
urban patterns, with San Francisco enacting its
first Landmarks Preservation Ordinance in 1967. As preservation took root, more buildings were saved.
However, sometimes only bits and pieces, rather than
whole buildings, were preserved. One approach was
to salvage building fragments known as "spolia ." Another common practice, "facadism" retained only the historic facade while replacing all that once stood
behind it. "Encapsulation" kept a historic building
in its original location but surrounding it on all sides
with new construction . Spolia, facadism and encapsulation are
controversial practices. While many wonderful pieces
of original fabric have been saved through these
actions, their historical context can be radically altered or destroyed. The most contentious example
of both spolia and incorporation in San Francisco is
the former City of Paris department store on Union
Square. After a four-year preservation battle, the
Beaux Arts icon was demolished in 1981, with the
exception of the historic rotunda. Today the rotunda is suspended in glass and concrete as the grand entry
piece to architect Philip Johnson 's Neiman Marcus at the same location.
While not orthodox from a historic preservation
perspective, incorporation practices continue today,
sometimes with provocative results.
12 JULY 2013
Photo by Jeremy Blakeslee
Neiman Marcus
After an impassioned fight to save Union
Square's City of Paris, the iconic Beaux Arts
department store was torn down in 1981. Only
its rotunda and glass dome were spared, now
encased in glass as a highly provocative entry
feature for the granite-covered box designed
by Philip Johnson. A conspicuous and
controversial example of spolia, the Neiman
Marcus building could nonetheless find
itself in the ironic position of being deemed
"historic" in the future for its association with
the legendary architect.
Original architects: John Bakewell and
Arthur J. Brown (1896 and 1909)
Contemporary architect: Philip Johnson
(1982)
THE URBANIST
California Academy of Sciences
When the Academy of Sciences announced
plans to replace its former facility in
Golden Gate Park with a new building, it
promised to retain the beloved African
Hall, with its dioramas and traditional barrel
vaulted space. Leaving only two original
limestone walls tested the value of retaining
such a small fragment of the original
building. The strong contemporary design
of the new building, beautifully conceived
by Italian architect Renzo Piano, engulfs
the two historic limestone walls and
provides a modern replica of the original
African Hall.
Original architect of African Hall:
Unknown, 1934
Contemporary architect: Renzo Piano
Building Workshop with Gordon Chong
(2008)
Photo by Jeremy Blakeslee
JULY 2013 13
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Juxtaposition Some of the most exciting examples of adaptive reuse in San Francisco highlight strong contrasts
between older buildings and contemporary
additions. Consider the Contemporary Jewish
Museum, formerly the Jessie Street Substation,
where an iridescent blue cube has been inserted into the side of Willis Polk's classical brick structure. The
juxtaposition between old and new helps reinforce
the qualities of both.
14 JULY 2013
The construction of a new building next to an old building also brings possibilities for transformation . The recently completed addition to 1 Kearny (shown
on page 19), respects the rhythm and scale of its
multigenerational neighbors without mimicking them.
Its roof garden is successful not only as thoughtfully
constructed open space, but also for its stunning
views of the historic parapet next door.
San Francisco Art Institute
The original Mediterranean Revival art school
by Bakewell and Brown rendered traditional
elements, like its tower and arcaded
courtyard, in a modern material: board
formed concrete. The 1969 addition continues
with concrete but abandons traditional ism
for architectural abstraction. Each (the
original and the addition) is a product of its
own era, and each represents thoughtful
design. One is inward-facing, while the other
turns outward to embrace the city. Though
strikingly different, the two halves hold
together as an integrated whole.
Original architects: Bakewell and Brown
(1925)
Contemporary architect: Pafford Keatinge
Clay (1969)
Photos by Jeremy Blakeslee
THE URBANIST
THE URBANIST JULY 2013 15
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE .
Juxtaposition Photo by Jeremy Blakeslee
Mint Plaza
Once a derelict urban alley, Mint Plaza is
nestled between the Old Mint and several
historic warehouses. The space has been
transformed into a lively public plaza and
cultural venue. A simple ground plane unifies
the plaza, while a steel arbor balances the
towering warehouses to the north and the
lower neoclassical facade of the Mint building
to the south. The climbing vines on the arbor
bring extensive greenery to the heart of
the plaza and provide a canopy for al fresco
diners.
Contemporary Architect: CMG Landscape
Architecture (2008)
Photo by Jeremy Blakeslee
THE URBANIST
178 Townsend
Located in the South End Historic District.
the recently completed 178 Townsend project
added four stories and 94 rental housing
units behind the edifice of the former Arc
Light Company Station B building. A sleek
glass structure was inserted into the original
masonry building, juxtaposing materials
and volumes. The addition demonstrates
the emergence of new urban textures and
achieves harmony between old and new.
Original architects: Frederick F. Hamilton
and George W. Percy (1888)
Contemporary architect: HKS and Martin
Building Co. (2012)
Photo by Jeremy Blakeslee
JULY 2013 17
ADAPT/TRANSFORM/REUSE
Change is the Only Constant Heraclitus' famous phrase "No man ever steps into the same river twice" could equally apply to a city street, a park or a building. Change is constantly occurring, and people tend to have strong opinions about adjustments to the urban landscape.
For centuries, architects have grappled with the question of how an individual building should relate to its surrounding context. Should it be a singular object, addressing its own set of needs unrelated to its site, or should it blend in as an element of a larger composition? Throughout the history of architecture, the different ways of answering this question have led to an astounding
diversity of built work, and examples of both good design and poor design can be found in each category. Architects have passionately argued their views through their designs and in written manifestos from Vitruvius ' Ten Books on Architecture
to Adolph Loos' Ornament Is Crime.
In cities, change takes place incrementally, one building or cluster of buildings at a time - a single stitch in the urban fabric. For any particular intervention, the architect is confronted with the
choice of creating either an object or a contextually sensitive design. This choice is a difficult one,
particularly in San Francisco, where regulations controlling development are not synchronous with emerging policy. Current smart-growth principles encourage increased density in transit cores, yet any major new building proposed must satisfy outdated regulations established when urban growth
was anathema. As a consequence, many existing buildings exceed current legislated height and bulk limits, which makes change nearly impossible without
spot zoning or special concessions.
The issue of blending in or sticking out becomes
18 JULY 2013
When it comes to mixing old and new, one person's outrage is another's delight.
By Charles Bloszies
more important when a new structure is juxtaposed against an old one, especially when that old building is an important landmark. Historically significant buildings tend to be located in areas where smart growth would dictate increased density and where real estate is extremely valuable. The economic drivers for urban change often lead to sites where the only solution is to adapt, repurpose, transform or expand an existing building. In these cases, how the new proposal relates to the old is the principal design driver.
For the past few decades, it has been conventional wisdom in the United States that when modifying
an existing structure, architects should make sure that the new features are easily recognizable and
differentiated from the old but are also consistent with them in character. This is very difficult to pull off. Most often, the new is a mere cartoon of the old or, worse, a banal design based on fear of offending
anyone. Background buildings are necessary, to be sure, since without them there would be no foreground, but simplistic approaches to fusing new with old are rarely successful.
Many architects would agree that a building
should reflect the cultural and social activity of its time. Good designs have a kind of embedded time
stamp that serves to record architectural history as it happens. Thus, when altering an existing building, it is important to differentiate between new and
old; indeed, it can be argued that the contrast between an existing structure and a new intervention
heightens the appreciation of both. Opinions diverge, however, on how to achieve a
meaningful level of differentiation. Extreme contrast can be jarring and appear out of balance, but overly
subtle contrast is equally problematic. Architects
Composed of three fused-together build
ings representing distinct eras, 1 Kearny
is a masterwork of sympathetic urban
architecture. Through its classical composi
tion and sensitive materials, the 2009
addition, designed by the author, takes cues
from both the original French Renaissance
Revival building designed by William
Curlett in 1902 and the mid-century annex
by Charles Moore, yet its texture is carefully
distinguished from those older buildings.
The roof garden is shown bottom right.
Charles Bloszies, Principal of the Office of
Charles F. Bloszies, AIA, is the author of
Old Buildings, New Designs: Architectural
Transformations.
THE URBANIST
~
·~
tend to worry about this a lot, in contrast to the general public, many of whom would prefer that new buildings mimic the styles of familiar old buildings -a never-ending supply of architectural comfort food.
In exceptional circumstances, like restoration of a historic building, exact replication of an archaic style can be valid, and of course there are landmark structures that should not be altered at all. However, a design that clearly expresses its time, even when fused to an existing building from a different era, is more satisfying.
Most new designs that create some visual tension
between new and old are controversial; one person 's outrage is another's delight. Could stricter (and clearer) design guidelines help avoid turmoil? Probably not, since guidelines usually advocate for a specific viewpoint. stifle creative thinking and lead to insipid solutions. As the building designs in this edition of The Urbanist illustrate, there are many valid approaches that can yield thoughtful and enduring outcomes. No single philosophy can be universally applied - and those who espouse a particular attitude could be more tolerant of other approaches.
Existing buildings have always played an important part in the evolution of the urban environment. and many cities have tolerated transformation of the building stock better than San Francisco. If increased density in the transit core truly becomes the city 's sustainable growth policy, more existing structures will be transformed, adapted, repurposed and expanded. Some have outlived their useful lives and will need to be altered completely or even demolished. A livable, sustainable city must be able to absorb and embrace this transformation. Change is undeniably the only constant.
THE URBANIST JULY 2013 19
2013 Member Party
* Dignity Health.
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Emerald Fund, Inc.
Hearst Corporation
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Andy & Sara Barnes
The Boldt Company
Brian Spiers Development
BRIDGE Housing
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CH2MHILL
Charles M. Salter Associates
City CarShare
Comcast
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Rob Evans & Terry Micheau
Fehr & Peers
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UNBUILT SF
A Garden Imagined In the 1970s, the redevelopment of Yerba Buena
Center - and the resulting demolitions and evictions
that followed - led to lawsuits that contributed to the end of federal urban renewal programs. From
its initial stages, through court intervention, to
a protracted negotiation that resulted in today's
mixture of arts, open space, convention uses. and
affordable housing, the Yerba Buena site was the
subject of a long series of design schemes reflecting
the ambitions and controversies at play. In 1980, with several court-mandated affordable
housing projects complete and the Moscone
Convention Center under construction , a team led by developers Olympia and York won the right to develop the core parcels and associated public spaces. The late Bay Area landscape architect
Lawrence Halprin was hired to develop a series of themed public gardens linking adjacent cultural uses, in stark contrast to earlier fortress-like proposals .
THE URBANIST
This 1983 sketch from Halprin's notebooks, imagines
a Chinese Garden for the site. It was to have been
located along Third Street, across from what is now
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (which was
still unplanned at the time). Halprin's plan drawings reveal that the garden's orientation is the opposite
of a traditional Chinese garden, in which feng shui principles dictate entry from the south. While
Halprin's garden was never realized, the overall Yerba
Buena Gardens scheme was.
You can see more unbuilt San Francisco this fall: SPUR, AIA San Francisco, Center for Architecture+
Design, Environmental Design Archives at UC Berkeley, the California Historical Society and the
San Francisco Public Library present Unbuilt San Francisco, a collaborative exhibition on view
from August - November 2013. •
SAVE THE DATE!
Unbuilt San Francisco Exhibition Opening September 6, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Annie Alley, between 678 and
654 Mission Street,
San Francisco
JULY 2013 21
URBAN FIELD NOTES
For San Francisco residents, steep inclines have become part of the everyday urban fabric. It's easy to overlook how the topography once divided the city. Historically, the peaks were a matter of wealth and accessibility. Only the rich could afford to live atop these scenic perches; the rest of the population wondered how to traverse them before the cable car was introduced.
Today there are numerous infrastructures, pathways and transportation modes that have been integrated with San Francisco's hills so that the urban environment and the natural landscape blend more seamlessly with each other. Easier accessibility has lessened - though not eliminated - the privilege
divide. Though our legs may tell us something different
on the ascent, these hills are no longer something to be conquered but rather are integrated into our daily patterns of living.
rl Twin Peaks (Transit) - In 1918
the Twin Peaks tunnel opened. taking 20 minutes off of trolley
commutes from Sloat Boulevard
to Kearny Street. Currently, it
is one of the longest light-rail tunnels in the world , running all
the way from Market and Castro
Streets to West Portal. The
Twin Peaks tunnel enabled new
neighborhoods to be developed.
including Balboa Terrace, Forest
Hill. West Portal , St. Francis Wood
and Westwood Park.
IJ Telegraph Hill - (Walkability)
Since 1933, Coit Tower has been
a singular presence on the iconic San Francisco Bay skyline. A
major tourist destination with
easy access from downtown, it
invites city wanderers to come
straight to its lookout point
undeterred by the long walk up.
To reach the tower by foot one must walk its spiral road and
climb a set of stairs.
B Nob Hill & Russian Hill -
(Neighborhood) Nob Hill's
moniker originates from the slang
term "Nabobs," referring to the
political elite and wealthy. It's no
wonder that these neighborhoods
have always been desirable places
to live; both hills offer brilliant
panoramas of the Bay. Many
sidewalks are tilted at nearly 90
degrees. and there are countless the Pacific Ocean - and dips
hidden staircases to discover and down onto the Great Highway. On
climb. the map there is no designated
name for this hill, but the names
[!J Mount Davidson (Recreational) Lands End and the Cliff House
- At 938 feet, Mount Davidson convey the topography. Cyclists is the highest point in San know the area well; it's part of the
Francisco and is abundant with San Francisco Bicycle Route 95,
natural flora and fauna. Blue gum which extends along the western
eucalyptus trees were planted coast of the city. There is no way
in the early 19th century and of anticipating this incline while
they now provide a mini forest viewing a street map. You need to
of over 30 acres amid the urban experience it for yourself. •
environment.
0 Lands End/Cliff House -
(Cycling, Walking) Point Lobos Andrea Dumovich is a Guest Concierge
Avenue curves around the edge of at the California Historical Society and a
the Outer Richmond - just above former SPUR development intern.
Q SPU R
WELCOME
New Members New Business Members Peter Englander
Aedis Architecture+ Planning Shelley Estelle Grocery Outlet Sophie Ewald
Hearst Corportation Samuel Fajner
Twitter Sharon Farrell
Uniqlo Kevin Feeney
Tom Feeney
New Members Justin Castilla Shannon Ferguson
Karim Aboud Mark Cate Steve Ferrero
David Alderman Andrew Catterall Nicole Franklin
Peter Allen Daryl Chan Alexandra Fraser
Victor Amporndanai Catherine Chang Catherine Frazier
Francisco Arias Melanie Cheng Christine Fukasawa
Avi Asherov Gordon Childress Sharon Gadberry &
Eric Avner Celeste Chin Richard Rappaport Chuck Ayala Albert M Ching Margaret Galvin
Maude Baggette Miranda Chiu Bonnie Gershkon
Thu Banh Sophie Chou Joel Gershkon
Wayne Barcelon Jeff Chuang Geeta Gharpure
Trafton Bean Amy Teresa Chung Nora Gilbert
Casey Beckstrom Keith Cich Raminderjit Gill
lvria Ben-Or Anagha Dandekar Calder Gillin
Chaska S. Berger Clifford Wanda Ginner
Kate Bickert Brandon Cline Melissa Godfrey
Chris Block Elisha Cohen Niloufar Golkarihagh
Mark Bolton Travis Cole Ben Golvin
Greg Bonderud Heather Coleman Alexis Gonzales
Martin Bournhonesque Jeff Condit Edward Graves
Vikki Bowes-Mok Richard Conniff Barrie Grenell
Charles Boyd Courtney Cooper Sara Grimes
Alex Brant-Zawadzki Matthew Crane Bob Grimm
John Brazil Aoife Crofts Donald Grinberg
Chet Brians Lindsay D'Andrea Anisse Gross
Alan Bright Sheryl Davis Leslee Hamilton
John Britton Irvin Dawid Heidi Hanzawa
Kara Brodgesell Catie Delay Shane Harris
Kristen Brodgesell Kate Didech Gary Hedden
Greta Brownlow Darin F. Dinsmore Rachel Hege-Sorrow
Peter Bryan Mark Donahue Carl Hekkert
David Buchholz Allison M. Doyle Andrew Hening
Caitlin Bush Laura Dulski Rick Holden
Thomas Cal Stephanie Duncan Sean Holliday
Howard Cameron Kristy Dutch Guy Hollins
Steaven Campbell Christina Eddings Joshua Hugg
John D Carpenter Karen Edwards Clare Hyland
THE URBANIST
David Hyry
Kiran Jain Ashley James
Eric James
Darlene Jang
Jon Jenusaitis
Jessie Johnston
- Marla Jurosek
Aaron Kahn
Jennifer Kain
Lisa Katz
Melinda Kausek
Martin Chad Kellogg
Sophie Kelmenson Stephen Kennedy Tom Kennedy
Bill Kenney
Jenny Kim
Cathy Kimball
Sonya Kleshik
Michael Kloefkorn
Amy Kochanowsky
Mark Koenigs
Dennis Korabiak
Sailaja Kurella
Pamela Kurz
Jason Lally
Nicole Lamarche
Kerry Lange
Dane Lay
Amy Leedham
Janet Lees
Debra Lehtone
Brian Liles
Jaime Lockwood
William N. Long, Jr.
Catherine E Lyons
Cindy Ma
David Maglaty
Jill Manton
Jennifer Maples
Alan Marshall
Jonathan Martinez
John Mason Molly Maybrun
Michael McCall Paula Pritchard Todd Stimpson
Brad McCrea Jesse Quay Gayle Tsern Strang Meredith McCreary Leslie Quint Meghan Storm Felicia Sanchez Jessica Rafferty Stephanie Strawhacker
McDonnell Geeta Rao Robert Sturdivant
Duggan McDonnell Kathryn Savvides Carlo Sturken
Sean McFeely Reodica Jesse Sung
Rebekah McMenamin Christine Reed Lynn Sywolski Whitney McNair Henry Richardson Nabih Tahan
Megan McTiernan Mike Riepe Nicholas Tapia
Thomas Mcwalters Angela M. Robbins Timothy Telleen-
Chris Menkus Justine Roberts Lawton
Martin Menne Ian Ross Christian Termyn
Laura Messier Mark Ross Ben Thompson Abigail Meurk Rita Roti Alison Ticker Mark Miller Mary Rottman Joel Tomei
Jason Mitchell Liz Rumsey Craig Toocheck
Timothy Monahan Lynn Sanchez Eric Tucker
A. Dorsey Moore Vincent Sanchez Cari Tuna
Toni Moran Anthony Saracino Laura Uhlir Chris Morris Felix Sargent Schuyler Ullman
Christine Morris Torch Sathienmars James Unites
Barbara L. Moy Judith Sayler Kay Vasilyeva
Scott C Mulholland Deborah Schatten Katja Vosswinkel
Carisa Nakano Joshua Schiffer Willem Vroegh
Brian Nee Richard Schulke Lindsay Wai
Erica Nelles Zach Seal Richard Walker H. Newbold Spencer W. Sechler Sean Walton
Stephen Newhouse Samantha Seto Kansas Waugh Michelle Ney Aleka Seville Sarelle Weisberg
Eric Nyman Stephanie Shin Teo Wickland Eamon O'Connor Daniel Shockley Michael Wilson
Mark O'Dell Guy Simpson Kyle Winkler
Roger Olpin Heidi Simpson Katrine Wong
Amanda Olson Sadie Simpson Sarah Woock
Julie Ortiz John Skibbe Roy Worthen
Joe Parisi Cerisa Skinner Stephanie Xu
Jake Pavlovsky Diana Smeloff Xibing Yang
Lexi Paza Edward Smeloff Nicholas Young
Mark Pederson Jeny Smith Leon Yu
Chris Peeples Roman Speron Franco Zaragoza Anne Peskoe Andrew Spiering Qing Zhong Jamie Phillips Guy Steffens Kevin Zwick
Henry Pontarelli Dahlia Stein
Micah Press Alison Stevens
JULY 2013 25
CITY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
Urban Drift
Are There Cities on the Moon? 1' After decades of failed Jetsons
esque promises of individual jetpacks for all, people are finally
about to ascend to the heavens - as long as their net worth is
similarly stratospheric. If the 20thcentury space race was about the
might of the American govern
ment, the emerging 21st-century
one is about something perhaps
even more powerful - the might
of money. The necessary technol
ogy has converged in the hands of a particularly boyish group of
billionaires whose Right Stuff is less hard-boiled test pilot, more
high-tech entrepreneuring wun
derkind - and whose individual
financial means eclipse those of
most nations. A massive industry
is coalescing around them. Towns and states and even some coun
tries are fighting one another for a
piece of it. In New Mexico, workers
are putting the finishing touches
on the first of at least 10 space
ports currently under construction
worldwide. More than 800 people
have paid as much as $200,000
26 JULY 2013
for commercial flights into space, some of which are expected to
launch, at long last, within a year.
Architect Sir Norman Foster has designed a, well, space-age
looking spaceport for Sir Richard
Branson. Over beers one night, a former high-ranking NASA official,
now employed by Branson put it
plainly: "We happen to be alive at
the moment when humanity starts
leaving the planet."
"Welcome to the Real Space Age," by Dan P. Lee,
5/19/13. www.nymag.com/news/features/space
travel-2013-5/
A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America by Vishaan Chakrabarti Chakrabarti, director of Colum
bia University's Center for Urban
Real Estate and a partner at SHoP Architects, believes that well-de
signed cities are the key to solving
America 's greatest challenges .
He rallies us to "turn a country of
highways, houses and hedges into
a country of trains, towers, and trees ."
www.artbook.com/9781935202172.html
Once.J, Created by the Sydney/ New York City creative collective The Glue
Society, Once is a 13-foot cube that
contains the crushed remnants of an entire amusement park, from
cotton candy to carnival barker
dispensed stuffed toys.
The Ricotta Index Can cheese be a reliable indicator
of gentrification? Urban planner
Deborah Helaine Morris thinks
so and in a recent essay, the
Brooklyn resident describes how
the price and variety of ricotta on
offer in the dairy aisle at her local supermarkets, mom-and-pop
delis and artisanal food stores reflect neighborhood change. " I
am not certain that cheese is the
best indicator of neighborhood
change," says Morris. "But every
time I step into a store with comestibles, I head straight to the
dairy section, and try to see what
the offerings can tell me about
where I am or, at least, what I
should have for dinner."
"The Ricotta Index," by Deborah Helain Morris,
5/22/13. www.urbanomnibus.net/2013/05/the
ricotta-index/
A More Accessible Icon 1' The Accessible Icon Project has
advocated for an overhaul of the International Symbol of Access,
also known as the International Wheelchair Symbol. The recog
nizable symbol is effective, but
the Accessible Icon Project team
believes that the new design better represents individuals
with disabilities, especially in
the way it conveys a sense of
action and movement. "I have a
sense of history when I see the
original image," explains artist and
researcher Sara Hedren, who cofounded the project. She strongly believes that the new icon should
not only take the form of a street
art action but that it should show
the old version while also show
ing the new one. "We used the
original sticker in a tactical, mildly
transgressive way," she explains, "to get some media coverage for
a whole range of issues and the
voices of people who don't often
get talked about or heard: How do
we build cities, schools, economies
that support difference?" •
"The Accessible Icon Project Revamps Famous
lsotype," by Buzz Poole, printmag.com, 6/6/13
THE URBANIST
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MEMBER PROFILE
From Pop-Up to Permanent Sarah Filley In Oakland, an artist and urban designer
blends boosterism with positive deviance.
In art school, Sarah Filley's work focused on sculptures, video, performance and photography. "The
themes I've explored have always been about how
we live in urban cities and how the cities reflect our
desires back to us," explains the cofounder (with
Alfonso Dominguez) of Popuphood, a small-business
incubator aimed at revitalizing Oakland 's neighbor
hoods block by block. "My first performance was at a Healthy Cities conference in downtown Oakland!"
be trained in creative problem solving yet marginalized as a cultural producer and have no real impact
on how cities serve, engage or even celebrate its population."
So Filley launched Popuphood, an initiative that
focuses on connecting micro-entrepreneurs to a
shared creative engagement for macro-collective impact. "Our company arose out of a deep love of
place," she says. "Having so many artists, makers and designer networks here makes this an amazing
city. Creating a platform to showcase the amount of
cultural production with our 'Pop-Up to Permanent '
When Filley graduated, she continued to find
creative ways to engage the public around citizen
agency and urban resiliency. As an artist she pro
posed projects that used public data, government
agencies and technology to connect residents to resources, but as she explains, "It was frustrating to
program is how we can both share what has been PopUp's Sarah Filley and one of the
happening here and have a positive economic impact group's downtown Oakland retailers. on the community."
What interests you about cities? instigators. urbanists, digital laborating with many of the great Tower cannot be beat. It has a And how did you first learn about artists and people talking about people we have met while speak- 360-degree view and is a great SPUR? urban innovation. There are ing and consulting in different cit- example of the status afforded I wanted to be part of a global people doing and talking in ies. We've partnered, for example, this early landmark. conversation on the direction of Oakland, of course, but they with the California College of Arts '
cities and understand how I could lacked the connective social tissue Engage program to complement City: Melbourne. It is to Sydney have a real voice in designing of a physical place to gravitate to. our work on a district level with what Oakland is to San Francisco.
a city that reflected my needs SPUR really was one of my first KONO (Koreatown Northgate It has a feisty underdog spirit that
as a creative person but also as touchstones to find my tribe, so Community Benefits District). suited me well and made it very
someone hit hard by the eco- to speak, and migrate over from Our first Pop-up in this down- familiar. nomic downturn. I saw what was the art museums and galleries town location is Hub Oakland. happening in the arts and how in- into the urban exhibits and We will expand our Pop-up Plaza Book on the city: Triumph of stitutional funding was drying up. publications found at SPUR. incubation in the fall to include the City [by Edward Glaeser],
I knew that it was only a matter of more businesses. The talent of our hands down. Coming from an art
time before it hit cities as well. As What projects are currently in the applicants is matched only by the background I really appreciate an artist I didn't feel connected to works for Popuphood? excitement in Oakland right now. an argument that has its roots
a purpose, [but now], as a social The importance of sharing sue- It feels amazing to see this city hit in history and looks at the
entrepreneur, I feel connected to cessful strategies between cities its stride. economics of the future. We a global conversation of like- will be the next level in the urban have a moment here to ground minded folks and now boosterism prototyping movement and shar- Awesome. Now tell us about your progressive citizen led initiatives is my full-time job! ing economy. We are program- favorite ... in equitable and inclusive policy
I learned about SPUR when I ming our new office space in and I appreciate the philosophical
started loitering in San Francisco Frank Ogawa Plaza. which faces Urban view: The view of down- bent to the reasoning found in
to find a community of hackers, Oakland 's City Hall, and we're col- town Oakland from the Tribune its pages. •
THE URBANIST JULY 2013 27
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