Things to do / Travel Guide
Architecture in central California is varied; there are examples of Spanish colonial designs, Italianate designs, Victorian designs, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, as well as modern and post-modern architectural styles all across the region. There are, however, some sights of architectural significance that really stand out.
Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings around San Francisco, California
Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright left his mark on several places different places in San Francisco. For instance, the Hanna House in Palo Alto, was originally conceived and designed as a “usonian” house (i.e. inexpensive) for Stanford professor Paul Hanna and his family. The result is a series of glass-fronted hexagons with a large brick chimney sticking up out of the middle of it. This hexagonal design of the glass front gave the house its nickname, the “Honeycomb House.” The Hanna House also marks the first time that Wright employed non-rectangular design forms. Paul Hanna donated the house to Stanford University in 1975. Tours are available to the public by reservation only.
Another Frank Lloyd Wright building located near San Francisco's Union Square is the V. C. Morris Gift Shop. The V.C. Morris Gift Shop can be found on Maiden Lane and is notable for its distinctive arched brickwork which, in terms of design, has obvious similarities to Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Currently, the V.C. Morris Gift Shop, like the Guggenheim, is an art gallery that is open to visitors. Both the Hanna House and the V.C. Morris Gift Shop in San Francisco have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as one of the 17 Wright buildings that represent his architectural contributions to American culture.
Across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County in San Rafael is the Marin Civic Center which is marked by governmental symbolism, such as an 80-foot domed roof, arched arcades, and a 172-foot golden tower. The Marin Civic Center is one of Wright's last designs and is open to the public during standard business hours.
The Bridges of San Francisco, California
Marin County and the city of San Francisco have been joined by the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge since its completion in 1937. Joseph Strauss designed the rust-colored Art Deco suspension bridge that spans a total of 1.7 miles. Given its proximity to the San Andreas Fault, the Golden Gate Bridge has also proven itself to be one of the strongest bridges in the world as well. The American Society of Civil Engineers declared the bridge a modern Wonder of the World. The city's only drawbridge was also designed by Mr. Strauss, the “Lefty” O'Doul Bridge. Named after hometown baseball hero, Francis Joseph “Lefty” O'Doul, the bridge is located where 3rd Street crosses over the China Basin and provides a pedestrian walk to the San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park. It may be water under the bridge these days, but Charles H. Purcell must have been proud that his San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened a full half a year before the Golden Gate Bridge and spanned almost five times the length. This bridge is the busiest in the United States, carrying over a quarter of a million people over its two suspension bridges each day.
Architecture in San Francisco's Financial District
The center for all things commercial and financial is, of course, the San Francisco Financial District, which provides the skyline of San Francisco with several impressive high-rise buildings. The Transamerica “Pyramid” Building, designed by William Periera, is the tallest building in the city, rising over 800 feet into the sky and providing an imposing dominance over the other buildings in the area. Another impressive structure that also dominates the skyline of San Francisco stands at 210 feet high at the top of Telegraph Hill, the Coit Tower. The Coit Tower stands as a testament to Art deco design and as a memorial to firemen. The structure was built between 1929 and 1934 with the help of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who was saved from a fire as a child. Because of her renowned love of fireman throughout the rest of her life, many believe that the Coit Tower was built in order to resemble the nozzle of a firehose. The building also houses 27 frescoes in a Depression-era Social Realist style that are both controversial and beautiful.
The Ferry Building at the Embarcadero
Another architectural site worth mentioning is the Ferry Building. Designed by A. Page Brown and built in the style of beaux-arts in 1903, the Ferry Building really catches the eye as its tall clock tower looms large over the Embarcadero. The Ferry Building is left over from the days when San Francisco was primarily accessible via ferry and the building has withstood the test of time and the power of massive earthquakes.
San Francisco's Western Addition
San Francisco's centrally located Western Addition was named such because at one time it was an addition to the city just west of Van Ness Avenue and south of the Pacific Heights neighborhood. Architecturally, the neighborhood stands out because of the many 19th century Victorian-style houses that survived not only the 1906 earthquake but also the savage affects of the wrecking balls during many years of urban development and renewal. Steiner Street is the main drag through the West Addition and is probably the most photographed section of the city. Many of the Victorian-designed buildings have been gentrified and have received “face lifts” making them a popular place for little boutiques, trendy shops, and restaurants.
Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California
Grace Cathedral near Huntington Park was inspired by Notre Dame in Paris and is a fine example of Gothic architecture. The doors are perhaps the most notable architectural feature of the cathedral and are cast from Lorenzo Ghiberti's “Gates of Paradise” from the Cathedral Baptistry in Florence, Italy, while the “glowing rose window” comes from Chartres in France. Grace Cathedral was built with steel-reinforced concrete in an effort to make it sturdy and robust in light of the earthquakes and also houses a spiritual “Labyrinth,” a three-fold path which visitors can wander through in an effort to calm themselves spiritually.
The Phoenix Inn in San Francisco, California
One of the more hip and cool places to check out in San Francisco is the Phoenix Inn which is located on the corner of Eddy and Larkin Streets. This hotel was clearly decorated in the 1950s and is trimmed with a pink and turquoise color scheme. It's known for its pool-facing hotel rooms filled with bamboo furniture and tropical plants.
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California
First and foremost, the Winchester Mystery House, located in San Jose, is a bizarre estate where architectural excess really ran out of control. The design of the Winchester Mystery House is decidedly American. It was originally a farm house, but the story behind the design of the house is really interesting. In 1888, widow Sarah Winchester moved into the farm house and was told by a psychic medium that she was being haunted by those killed by her family's firearms. The medium told her that if the house were in perpetual construction the spirits would leave her alone. To this end, Sarah Winchester kept construction going every single day of the year, including Christmas, for 38 years, until her death. The result of this home-construction madness is 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces, and 17 chimneys as well as stairs that lead to nowhere, doors that open to the outside from the second floor, and windows in the floor.
Peralta Adobe and Fallon House in San Jose, California
Built in 1797, the Peralta Adobe is San Jose's oldest building and is the last trace of what was the Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe (the first municipal government in California). The 1855 Fallon House, which was once home to San Jose mayor Thomas Fallon (hence the name), is a 15-room Victorian mansion located next to the Peralta Adobe off of West St. John Street.
Mission San Jose
This Mission San Jose was founded at the very end of the 18th century by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, it was the 14th mission in the California chain. The building was restored in the mid-1980s at a cost of over five million dollars. This stunning example of a Spanish Mission was once the center of an extensive cattle-ranching enterprise.
The Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California
One of the most stunning and popular attractions, architecturally and otherwise, in the central California coast region is the massive Hearst Castle, located near San Simeon. This place was built by, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and took 28 years to complete. Today this architectural wonder is located on a ridge called “La Cuesta Encantada,” which overlooks the quaint village of San Simeon like a benevolent, ostentatious overlord. Architect Julia Morgan's Hearst Castle is a 165-room estate that is also one of the greatest examples of America's “Gilded Age.” Architecturally speaking, Hearst Castle is an example of Mediterranean Revival style. The centerpiece of the sprawling estate is the Casa Grande, the 100-plus room mansion filled with a mind-boggling array of priceless art and elaborate antiques. The ceilings were imported to San Simeon from Spain and Italy and are rumored to date back over 400 years, with mantles above fireplaces dating back 500 years. Other objects d'artinclude several Italian and French Renaissance paintings, Flemish tapestries from Belgium, and beds built during the 16th century and imported specifically for this house from the Florentine region of Italy.
The magic doesn't end there, though. After the houses, the art, and the antiques, next up are the swimming pools. The indoor pool was designed with intricate, Roman-inspired mosaic tiles, Carrara-marble replicas of Greek gods and goddesses, and alabaster lamps in the shape of giant globes that mimic the illusion of moonlight. The outdoor pool, which takes inspiration from the Greco-Roman era, is flanked by sweeping marble colonnades that frame the Pacific Ocean, which, on a clear day, can be seen from the pool deck.
The film “Citizen Kane” is based partially on the life of William Randolph Hearst.
Architecture around Monterey, California
The first brick house in Monterey was the Larkin House. Larkin House was built in 1835 by Thomas Oliver Larkin, and during the time of Mexican rule served as the US consulate. Larkin House is a great example of fine, pink Monterey adobe architecture and the “gold standard” example of the local colonial style. Nearby there are other adobe style houses, such as the House of the Four Winds, which was built in the 1830s; the Gutierrez Adobe, a “double adobe” that was built in 1841, and the “casa grande,” the Cooper Molera Adobe built in 1829 by Captain John Bautista Rogers Cooper.
Architecture around Carmel, California
California's second Catholic mission was established at the Monterey Presidio in 1770 and is famous for many of its architectural designs, such as the vine-draped cathedral and the Baroque stone church. Also of particular eye-catching interest is the four-bell Moorish tower, the central star-shaped window, and the arched roof, all of which come from Baroque architectural origins. Perched on a rocky knoll and built overlooking Carmel, Robinson Jeffer's Tor House was built by poet Robinson Jeffers, who dragged these enormous medieval-looking granite rocks all the way up the hill from the beach below in an effort “to clear his mind.” The result is a three-story Hawk Tower complete with secret hidden passageways and mellow redwood paneling. Tor House is a national historic landmark and was built so that the poet could, essentially, hide out while writing sonnets away from the “insanity” of the world.
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