What I saw:
The downtown walking tour was honestly a bit of a
letdown. Perhaps it was that we caught
quite a bit of the downtown buildings trying to get to our destinations on Day
1 and Day 2, and that the Bus Tour caught a number of downtown items as part of
that. I was able to see the unique
variety of architectural styles included as part of San Francisco’s downtown
features.
What I learned:
There was noticeably a large change in architectural styles
due to the 1906 earthquake which required most of the city to be rebuilt. This allowed for new architectural styles
such as Chicago Style and Gothic Revival to be included (and were the most
prominent of the downtown styles that we saw).
What I appreciated most:
I had failed to realize just how much of the city was
decimated by the 1906 earthquake. The
entire city essentially had to be rebuilt.
It is also hard to understand how massively tall these buildings are
until you are standing beneath them looking up.
When viewing them from the skyline they all appear tall, but until you
are underneath them looking up, it can be overwhelming at the sheer size of
these buildings.
Teachers note for future trip:
Since most of these sites were captured on the bus tour, by
the time we got back to this again, it was honestly a bit old hat. I would include some of this as part of the
bus tour and then give this last extra day to hit another site in the area
(perhaps SF MOMA, which was closed during our visit).
Images:
Overall view:
This image was taken from the car on the way into the city (yes it was bumper to bumper traffic), but this shows a view of the dense city landscape and coordinating freeway traffic.
Picture #1
I selected this photo as it was a great representation of the international style of building. The solid mass of the structure with the coordinating glass windows creates a monolith type of feel. This was very popular in the downtown San Francisco area.
Picture #3
Picture #4
Picture #2
This photo was taken in the Union Park area, I loved the detail of the Corinthian columns that was made popular during the Gothic Revival period. I also loved this shot because of the angular shapes of the building behind the column. This Art Deco style building created a terrific backdrop in the photo.
Picture #3
This building drew my attention as it is obvious the top few floors were added at a later date. While they maintained the general shape of the floor below, they stood out like a sore thumb. There was not much foresight taken in planning this addition, and the results (to me) are less than desirable.
Picture #4
This photo shows a wonderful example of Post Modern Architecture. You can see the historic reference in the large arched window at the top, but the form as a whole is very modern and unique. I loved the clean lines and simple geometries that created this building.
Picture #5
This building shows another great example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture that was included in the rebuilt San Francisco Area. I love this photo because it shows the contrast between the Gothic Style and the Chicago Style of architecture. I especially loved the arched windows at the top, and the repeating theme of the arched entrances at the bottom.
Picture #5
This building shows another great example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture that was included in the rebuilt San Francisco Area. I love this photo because it shows the contrast between the Gothic Style and the Chicago Style of architecture. I especially loved the arched windows at the top, and the repeating theme of the arched entrances at the bottom.
Sketches:
Sketch #1:
There was this church that I saw, and I loved the tall slender tower.
Sketch #2
The walking tour went fast, and didn't give a lot of time to sketch, but I got this one of a tall and slender international style building.
Sketch #3
This building was all glass, and you could see window openings behind the glass. It was very interesting.
Sketch #4
This was an enlarged view of a cornice detail on one of the buildings downtown. I loved the historic references, while being modern still.
Handouts and Flyers:
This was also a free tour provided by the San Francisco City Guides there were no brochures handed out.
Sketch #1:
There was this church that I saw, and I loved the tall slender tower.
Sketch #2
The walking tour went fast, and didn't give a lot of time to sketch, but I got this one of a tall and slender international style building.
Sketch #3
This building was all glass, and you could see window openings behind the glass. It was very interesting.
Sketch #4
This was an enlarged view of a cornice detail on one of the buildings downtown. I loved the historic references, while being modern still.
Handouts and Flyers:
This was also a free tour provided by the San Francisco City Guides there were no brochures handed out.
