San Francisco's Iconic Buildings

PanaManiac · July 27th, 2011, 07:56 AM

1- Coit Tower

2- TransAmerica Pyramid

3- Palace of Fine Arts

4- Ferry Building

5- City Hall

6- 555 California St. (Fmr. B of A Hdqtrs.)

7- Palace of the Legion of Honor

8- AT&T Park

9- Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall

10- One Rincon Hill Tower

***Animo*** · July 29th, 2011, 02:24 AM

In my opinion Grace Cathedral is one of the most iconic structures in the city. I just love the façade and fountain fronting the church.

***Animo*** · July 29th, 2011, 03:04 AM

There's more to San Francisco architecture than Victorian homes.

That's the theme in the reader responses to a question posed by yours truly: What buildings here would you point out to outsiders? In a city known more for districts than individual designs, what jewels deserve attention?

You promptly aimed more than 75 buildings my way. And while the results included postcard-ready favorites - I'm looking at you, Palace of Fine Arts - the range of styles and eras reflects architectural diversity not often associated with our city.

Much culling later, here's a starter tour of sorts: 10 stops within walking distance of each other, with BART stops close by at either end. There are buildings to be contemplated as pure works of architecture, and buildings that let us see how this city constantly reinvents itself.

Ferry Building, 1898 with extensive 2003 renovations, A. Page Brown. This one's a favorite, and not just for the glorified food court on the ground floor. "Of course, the Ferry Building was very important to me as a child," Doris Madden recalls. "We used to drive our car on the ferryboat and go to the East Bay for a picnic every year during the summer."

Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1973, John Portman, 5 Embarcadero Center. Full disclosure: I'm not big on this atrium-centered showcase that saw its glory days a generation ago. But its admirers include Tanu Sankalia, chair of the University of San Francisco's department of art and architecture. "The Hyatt is about spatial experience that is memorable and unique," she writes, singling out such details as "its continuous, cascading balconies" and "the slot-like skylight that washes the pre-cast concrete surfaces."

Palace Hotel, 1909, Trowbridge & Trowbridge, 2 Montgomery St. And now for something completely different, hotel-lobby-wise: this dowager's Garden Court with its marble columns and stained-glass dome. Mark Katzenberger calls it "glorious but not gaudy ... no place in San Francisco (better) expresses the grace of our gilded past."

JPMorgan Chase Building, Pelli Clarke Pelli, 2002, 560 Mission St. It's hard in words to convey the attention to details that sets apart this "retro green office tower," in the words of Charles Belov. In person, you understand.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1994, Mario Botta, 151 Third St. Museum officials didn't call Botta when they sought architects to design an equally large addition, but the Swiss modernist's "little gem" has fans such as Susan Schneider: "The interior horizontal finishes convey solidity and even perhaps tradition, while the peekaboo staircase with its dark-to-light aspect leading to the cylindrical steps from the fourth to fifth floor is nothing but fun."

Xanadu Gallery, 1949, Frank Lloyd Wright, 140 Maiden Lane. This one received as much love as the Ferry Building, especially from architecture buffs who love how its circular interior ramp was a test run for the Guggenheim Museum, which opened a decade later in New York.

Sing Chong Building, 1908, T. Patterson Ross and A.W. Burgen, 601 Grant Ave. There's a reason for the colorful, overtly "Oriental" tone of this and other older Chinatown buildings, points out Drew Bourn: They were commissioned after the 1906 earthquake by Chinese merchants and landowners who grasped that making their neighborhood a tourist attraction would keep it from being shipped to the south edge of town - the proposal of some city leaders at the time.

Grace Cathedral, various architects, 1964, 1100 California St. "By simply going inside the cathedral, I immediately am at peace with the world," writes Ann Dolyniuk. Afterward, "I take my friends outside and gape at the Nob Hill hotels and enjoy the passing cable cars. ... What could be a better site to bring visitors to?"

City Hall, 1915, Arthur Brown, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, A favorite of Michael Zonta, who notes "at one time we really thought this place was something special." Haven't we always? And the interior is as impressive as the 308-foot-tall dome.

The Armory, 1909, Woollett & Woollett, 1800 Mission St. The formidable clinker-brick walls - the better to keep out rioting mobs - alone are worth a visit. But consider the social angle: After this massive structure sat empty for 30 years, impervious to all development schemes, it was bought by ... an Internet pornography company that set up shop in 2008. Or as Zonta puts it, "bulwark of democracy restored by Kink. com." How Ess Eff is that?

More reader favorites

Here is a baker's dozen - plus - of other San Francisco buildings in which readers take pride.

AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza

California Academy of Sciences and M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Golden Gate Park

Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption 1111 Gough St.

Coit Tower

Hallidie Building, 130 Sutter St.

The blocks of Laidley Street above Noe Valley where Leslie Wellbaum likes to show off "colorful and unusually constructed houses, a stairway through a jungle of gardens and houses, and a pretty good city view from the top."

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 345 California St.

Mission Dolores, 3321 16th St.

Neptune Society Columbarium, 1 Loraine Ct.

One Bush St. (Crown Zellerbach Building)

Sentinel Tower, 916 Kearny St.

Transamerica Pyramid, 600 Montgomery St.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz1TRvJnv5O

***Animo*** · July 29th, 2011, 03:24 AM

Next to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica Pyramid, the Ferry Building might be San Francisco's most recognizable -- and revered -- architectural icon.

Various architects built Grace Cathedral in 1964.

The Sing Chong building in San Francisco.

The armory building on Mission St. is a favorite edifice of some locals.

The Palace Hotel's Garden Court features marble columns and a stained-glass dome. The hotel was built in 1909 and is third on the list of buildings to show out-of-towners.

The JPMorgan Chase Building at 560 Mission St. is fourth on the list of the 10 buildings to show to San Francisco visitors.

Xanadu Gallery, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was built in 1949. Its interior circle ramp was a test for New York's Guggenheim Museum, built 10 years later.

SF MOMA

PanaManiac · August 3rd, 2011, 08:55 AM

Chronicle Building
Federal Building (450 GG)
Marriott (Marquis) Hotel
Flood Building
Hobart Building
Painted Ladies
Ghirardelli Square Bldg.
Mark Hopkins Hotel
St. Mary's Cathedral
The Metreon Complex
California State Building (Van Ness)

ddxv · August 3rd, 2011, 02:26 PM

<3 for SF

PanaManiac · August 3rd, 2011, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddxv

<3 for SF

Uh?!

612bv3 · August 4th, 2011, 03:55 AM

My list would be (not in order):

- Coit Tower
- Transamerica Building
- Ferry Building
- Palace of Fine Arts
- City Hall
- California Academy of Sciences
- Grace Cathedral
- St Mary's Cathedral
- SFMOMA
- PacBell Building/140 New Montgomery

others
- James Flood Building
- Sutro Tower (not a building but it's still awesome IMO)
- de Young Musuem
- Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Fairmont Hotel
- ATT Park

PanaManiac · August 4th, 2011, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 612bv3

My list would be (not in order):

- Coit Tower
- Transamerica Building
- Ferry Building
- Palace of Fine Arts
- City Hall
- California Academy of Sciences
- Grace Cathedral
- St Mary's Cathedral
- SFMOMA
- PacBell Building/140 New Montgomery

others
- James Flood Building
- Sutro Tower (not a building but it's still awesome IMO)
- de Young Musuem
- Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Fairmont Hotel
- ATT Park

Interesting... Many of your choices coincide with mine, however I would take issue with two: a) If you include a non-building like Sutro Tower, how could you omit the awsomest non-building of the city - the Golden Gate Bridge! b) If I were to compile a list of the city's uggliest buildings, the De Young Museum (facade) would top that list...

***Animo*** · August 4th, 2011, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddxv

<3 for SF

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanaManiac

Uh?!

He meant "heart" or "love" for SF.

Let's make this thread more interesting by posting interesting architectures or buildings in the city.

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

Anomalous_A's photostream
450 Sutter Street, San Francisco

1929, Timothy Pflueger

Harsch Investment Properties description of 450 Sutter Street:

Quote:

"The Art Deco-styled, high-rise building is one of the most prominent historic buildings in downtown San Francisco. Renowned Architect Timothy Ludwig Pflueger designed the 26-story, medical and dental building at 450 Sutter Street while working at the firm of Miller & Colmesnil. Constructed by Lindgren & Swinerton, the innovative building took advantage of the structural-steel frame, emphasizing a thin-skinned exterior, which features Mayan-ornamented terra-cotta spandrels alternating with windows. 450 Sutter was the second tallest building in San Francisco at the time of its completion in 1929. Pflueger was posthumously described as "the last of the Big Four architects of the downtown (San Francisco) skyline," often known for his other works such as the Pacific Stock Exchange, the Top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel, the Castro Theatre, the New Mission Theatre, and the Paramount Theatre.

"The building was named a City of San Francisco historic landmark in 1985 and has won many accolades from architectural critics. Most recently, 450 Sutter was cited as 'the most original of San Francisco's pre-war high-rises and one of the city's best buildings' according to author Mitchell Schwarzer's 2006 book 'Architecture of the San Francisco Bay Area: A History & Guide.' The public ground-floor lobby features rare Napoleon Grande Melange marble walls, elaborate bronze-finished Mayan ceiling and exotic bas-relief carvings."

I was able to go inside this building and the elevator/lobby is such a sight to see and visit!

PanaManiac · August 9th, 2011, 10:17 AM

SF Chronicle Bldg.

Flood Bldg.

Painted Ladies

Marriott (Marquis) Hotel

St. Mary's Cathedral

PanaManiac · August 13th, 2011, 11:09 PM

Mark Hopkins Hotel

The Metreon

Hobart bldg.

theEmbarcadero · August 29th, 2011, 05:10 PM

The Flood Building always mesmerizes me. I wonder how many tourists stand next to it while waiting for a cable car...not realizing they are right next to one of the greatest buildings in California!!!

Also, I am surpised that Mission Dolores, or the US Mint have not been mentioned yet...2 of my favorites..!!!

612bv3 · August 29th, 2011, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanaManiac

Interesting... Many of your choices coincide with mine, however I would take issue with two: a) If you include a non-building like Sutro Tower, how could you omit the awsomest non-building of the city - the Golden Gate Bridge! b) If I were to compile a list of the city's uggliest buildings, the De Young Museum (facade) would top that list...

I don't need to mention the Golden Gate Bridge. Ask someone to name 3 structures in San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge would definitely be one of the three. Plus I love how evil the Sutro Tower looks sometimes. Our very own Tower of Mordor.

As for the De Young, I really like the facade. It screams here I am, look at me. Complete opposite from the California Academy of Science which tries to blend in with the surrounding environment.

PanaManiac · August 29th, 2011, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 612bv3

I don't need to mention the Golden Gate Bridge. Ask someone to name 3 structures in San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge would definitely be one of the three. Plus I love how evil the Sutro Tower looks sometimes. Our very own Tower of Mordor.

As for the De Young, I really like the facade. It screams here I am, look at me. Complete opposite from the California Academy of Science which tries to blend in with the surrounding environment.

From my perspective, the dark de Young museum facade and V-shaped tower looks alot more "evil" than Sutro tower will ever look, even with the fog assaulting it.

PanaManiac · August 29th, 2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theEmbarcadero

...Also, I am surpised that Mission Dolores, or the US Mint have not been mentioned yet...2 of my favorites..!!!

Mission Dolores

US Mint

Old US Mint

PanaManiac · August 29th, 2011, 09:03 PM

Stock Exchange

Phelan Bldg. (SF's version of NYC's Flatiron)

PanaManiac · August 31st, 2011, 08:06 PM

Maritime Museum

***desertpunk*** · September 1st, 2011, 03:49 AM

Cool thread!

612bv3 · September 2nd, 2011, 02:48 AM

How about the SF Mart?

July 27th, 2011, 07:56 AM	#1
PanaManiac "Hands of Stone" Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PTY/SFO Posts: 3,562 Likes (Received): 5	San Francisco's Most Iconic Buildings (Top 10) 1- Coit Tower 2- TransAmerica Pyramid 3- Palace of Fine Arts 4- Ferry Building 5- City Hall 6- 555 California St. (Fmr. B of A Hdqtrs.) 7- Palace of the Legion of Honor 8- AT&T Park 9- Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall 10- One Rincon Hill Tower __________________ HD video #1-> PANAMA - HUB OF THE AMERICAS <-HD video #2 HD video #3-> Panatrópolis! <-HD video #3 Images link #1-> Panama City - Ciudad de Panamá <-Images link #2 Last edited by PanaManiac; September 2nd, 2011 at 08:05 AM. Reason: Image replacement

July 29th, 2011, 03:04 AM	#3
*Animo* I'm Watching You Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 9,461 Likes (Received): 94	10 buildings your S.F. visitors should see There's more to San Francisco architecture than Victorian homes. That's the theme in the reader responses to a question posed by yours truly: What buildings here would you point out to outsiders? In a city known more for districts than individual designs, what jewels deserve attention? You promptly aimed more than 75 buildings my way. And while the results included postcard-ready favorites - I'm looking at you, Palace of Fine Arts - the range of styles and eras reflects architectural diversity not often associated with our city. Much culling later, here's a starter tour of sorts: 10 stops within walking distance of each other, with BART stops close by at either end. There are buildings to be contemplated as pure works of architecture, and buildings that let us see how this city constantly reinvents itself. Ferry Building, 1898 with extensive 2003 renovations, A. Page Brown. This one's a favorite, and not just for the glorified food court on the ground floor. "Of course, the Ferry Building was very important to me as a child," Doris Madden recalls. "We used to drive our car on the ferryboat and go to the East Bay for a picnic every year during the summer." Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1973, John Portman, 5 Embarcadero Center. Full disclosure: I'm not big on this atrium-centered showcase that saw its glory days a generation ago. But its admirers include Tanu Sankalia, chair of the University of San Francisco's department of art and architecture. "The Hyatt is about spatial experience that is memorable and unique," she writes, singling out such details as "its continuous, cascading balconies" and "the slot-like skylight that washes the pre-cast concrete surfaces." Palace Hotel, 1909, Trowbridge & Trowbridge, 2 Montgomery St. And now for something completely different, hotel-lobby-wise: this dowager's Garden Court with its marble columns and stained-glass dome. Mark Katzenberger calls it "glorious but not gaudy ... no place in San Francisco (better) expresses the grace of our gilded past." JPMorgan Chase Building, Pelli Clarke Pelli, 2002, 560 Mission St. It's hard in words to convey the attention to details that sets apart this "retro green office tower," in the words of Charles Belov. In person, you understand. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1994, Mario Botta, 151 Third St. Museum officials didn't call Botta when they sought architects to design an equally large addition, but the Swiss modernist's "little gem" has fans such as Susan Schneider: "The interior horizontal finishes convey solidity and even perhaps tradition, while the peekaboo staircase with its dark-to-light aspect leading to the cylindrical steps from the fourth to fifth floor is nothing but fun." Xanadu Gallery, 1949, Frank Lloyd Wright, 140 Maiden Lane. This one received as much love as the Ferry Building, especially from architecture buffs who love how its circular interior ramp was a test run for the Guggenheim Museum, which opened a decade later in New York. Sing Chong Building, 1908, T. Patterson Ross and A.W. Burgen, 601 Grant Ave. There's a reason for the colorful, overtly "Oriental" tone of this and other older Chinatown buildings, points out Drew Bourn: They were commissioned after the 1906 earthquake by Chinese merchants and landowners who grasped that making their neighborhood a tourist attraction would keep it from being shipped to the south edge of town - the proposal of some city leaders at the time. Grace Cathedral, various architects, 1964, 1100 California St. "By simply going inside the cathedral, I immediately am at peace with the world," writes Ann Dolyniuk. Afterward, "I take my friends outside and gape at the Nob Hill hotels and enjoy the passing cable cars. ... What could be a better site to bring visitors to?" City Hall, 1915, Arthur Brown, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, A favorite of Michael Zonta, who notes "at one time we really thought this place was something special." Haven't we always? And the interior is as impressive as the 308-foot-tall dome. The Armory, 1909, Woollett & Woollett, 1800 Mission St. The formidable clinker-brick walls - the better to keep out rioting mobs - alone are worth a visit. But consider the social angle: After this massive structure sat empty for 30 years, impervious to all development schemes, it was bought by ... an Internet pornography company that set up shop in 2008. Or as Zonta puts it, "bulwark of democracy restored by Kink. com." How Ess Eff is that? More reader favorites Here is a baker's dozen - plus - of other San Francisco buildings in which readers take pride. AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza California Academy of Sciences and M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Golden Gate Park Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption 1111 Gough St. Coit Tower Hallidie Building, 130 Sutter St. The blocks of Laidley Street above Noe Valley where Leslie Wellbaum likes to show off "colorful and unusually constructed houses, a stairway through a jungle of gardens and houses, and a pretty good city view from the top." Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 345 California St. Mission Dolores, 3321 16th St. Neptune Society Columbarium, 1 Loraine Ct. One Bush St. (Crown Zellerbach Building) Sentinel Tower, 916 Kearny St. Transamerica Pyramid, 600 Montgomery St. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz1TRvJnv5O Last edited by Animo; July 29th, 2011 at 03:21 AM.

August 3rd, 2011, 08:55 AM	#5
PanaManiac "Hands of Stone" Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PTY/SFO Posts: 3,562 Likes (Received): 5	Honorable Mention Chronicle Building Federal Building (450 GG) Marriott (Marquis) Hotel Flood Building Hobart Building Painted Ladies Ghirardelli Square Bldg. Mark Hopkins Hotel St. Mary's Cathedral The Metreon Complex California State Building (Van Ness) __________________ HD video #1-> PANAMA - HUB OF THE AMERICAS <-HD video #2 HD video #3-> Panatrópolis! <-HD video #3 Images link #1-> Panama City - Ciudad de Panamá <-Images link #2

August 9th, 2011, 10:17 AM	#11
PanaManiac "Hands of Stone" Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PTY/SFO Posts: 3,562 Likes (Received): 5	5 buildings to be reckoned with SF Chronicle Bldg. Flood Bldg. Painted Ladies Marriott (Marquis) Hotel St. Mary's Cathedral __________________ HD video #1-> PANAMA - HUB OF THE AMERICAS <-HD video #2 HD video #3-> Panatrópolis! <-HD video #3 Images link #1-> Panama City - Ciudad de Panamá <-Images link #2

August 13th, 2011, 11:09 PM	#12
PanaManiac "Hands of Stone" Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PTY/SFO Posts: 3,562 Likes (Received): 5	3 more Mark Hopkins Hotel The Metreon Hobart bldg. __________________ HD video #1-> PANAMA - HUB OF THE AMERICAS <-HD video #2 HD video #3-> Panatrópolis! <-HD video #3 Images link #1-> Panama City - Ciudad de Panamá <-Images link #2

July 29th, 2011, 02:24 AM	#2
*Animo* I'm Watching You Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 9,461 Likes (Received): 94	In my opinion Grace Cathedral is one of the most iconic structures in the city. I just love the façade and fountain fronting the church.

July 29th, 2011, 03:24 AM	#4
*Animo* I'm Watching You Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 9,461 Likes (Received): 94	Next to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica Pyramid, the Ferry Building might be San Francisco's most recognizable -- and revered -- architectural icon. Various architects built Grace Cathedral in 1964. The Sing Chong building in San Francisco. The armory building on Mission St. is a favorite edifice of some locals. The Palace Hotel's Garden Court features marble columns and a stained-glass dome. The hotel was built in 1909 and is third on the list of buildings to show out-of-towners. The JPMorgan Chase Building at 560 Mission St. is fourth on the list of the 10 buildings to show to San Francisco visitors. Xanadu Gallery, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was built in 1949. Its interior circle ramp was a test for New York's Guggenheim Museum, built 10 years later. SF MOMA

August 3rd, 2011, 02:26 PM	#6
ddxv forests Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 186 Likes (Received): 13	<3 for SF

August 4th, 2011, 03:55 AM	#8
612bv3 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alameda Posts: 1,537 Likes (Received): 1	My list would be (not in order): - Coit Tower - Transamerica Building - Ferry Building - Palace of Fine Arts - City Hall - California Academy of Sciences - Grace Cathedral - St Mary's Cathedral - SFMOMA - PacBell Building/140 New Montgomery others - James Flood Building - Sutro Tower (not a building but it's still awesome IMO) - de Young Musuem - Contemporary Jewish Museum - Fairmont Hotel - ATT Park

August 29th, 2011, 05:10 PM	#13
theEmbarcadero Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Alajuela Posts: 2,303 Likes (Received): 6	The Flood Building always mesmerizes me. I wonder how many tourists stand next to it while waiting for a cable car...not realizing they are right next to one of the greatest buildings in California!!! Also, I am surpised that Mission Dolores, or the US Mint have not been mentioned yet...2 of my favorites..!!!

August 29th, 2011, 09:03 PM	#17
PanaManiac "Hands of Stone" Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PTY/SFO Posts: 3,562 Likes (Received): 5	2 other SF "Giants" Stock Exchange Phelan Bldg. (SF's version of NYC's Flatiron) __________________ HD video #1-> PANAMA - HUB OF THE AMERICAS <-HD video #2 HD video #3-> Panatrópolis! <-HD video #3 Images link #1-> Panama City - Ciudad de Panamá <-Images link #2

August 31st, 2011, 08:06 PM	#18
PanaManiac "Hands of Stone" Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PTY/SFO Posts: 3,562 Likes (Received): 5	Yet another architectual icon... Maritime Museum __________________ HD video #1-> PANAMA - HUB OF THE AMERICAS <-HD video #2 HD video #3-> Panatrópolis! <-HD video #3 Images link #1-> Panama City - Ciudad de Panamá <-Images link #2

September 1st, 2011, 03:49 AM	#19
*desertpunk* Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: ELP ~ ABQ Posts: 29,651 Likes (Received): 1375	Cool thread! __________________ We are floating in space...

September 2nd, 2011, 02:48 AM	#20
612bv3 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alameda Posts: 1,537 Likes (Received): 1	How about the SF Mart?

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode