Articles by

cindy casey

Traveling fanatic and ski addict Cindy lives in the SOMA area of San Francisco. Following in a five generation tradition of Californians she loves the history of her state and the inanity of her town. Cindy left the University of California with a degree in Landscape Architecture and never did anything with it. She loves to wander the streets of the world with her camera seeing what others do not. You can find her rambling thoughts of art and architecture at www.ArtandArchitecture-SF.com

 
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Food & Drink
06/01/12 3:58pm

Architecture Spotlight: Jackson Brewery

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There have been over 79 breweries in San Francisco’s history, most of them either lost to the 1906 earthquake or in the two years following the 1919 passage of the 21st amendment. These lost brew houses included the North Star Brewery at Filbert and Sansome, the Globe Brewing Company  at Sansome and Greenwich and the Jackson Brewing Company. Yet despite the fact that the Jackson Brewing Company  did not survive Prohibition, its building still stands.

1906 Damaged Jackson Brewing Company (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

The Jackson Brewing Company was owned by the William A. Fredericks family from 1867 to 1920. The first brewery was on First Street between Howard and Folsom; they purchased the property at Folsom and 11th in 1905. Early construction was destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fire. Consequently, the new brewery wasn’t completed until 1912.

The brewery is composed of a series of low-rise brick buildings sitting on a concrete foundation and simply ornamented with concrete and wood. This Romanesque Revival style brewery is one of the last remaining turn-of-the-century brewing complexes of its type.

Romanesque architecture was a style that emerged in Western Europe in the early 11th century. It has Roman and Byzantine elements and is characterized by massive articulated wall structures, round arches, and powerful vaults. This style lasted until the advent of Gothic architecture in the middle of the 12th century. Romanesque Revival was the reuse in the second half of the 19th century of the massive Romanesque forms.

Romanesque architecture in the United States was much simpler than that found in Europe. The Romanesque features of the Jackson Brewery include semicircular arches for the door and window openings and a belt course (a horizontal band across a building).

Due to its brick construction, the Jackson Brewery building did not fare well in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. A thorough retrofitting was done to upgrade the building to San Francisco’s 1990 building codes. The building is now a mixed-use complex with seven live-work condominiums and a restaurant.

San Francisco is now home to only ten breweries. These include the famous Anchor Steam Brewery and lesser-known local favorites such as The Beach Chalet, Speakeasy and the ThirstyBear.

The Jackson Brewery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and is San Francisco Landmark #199.

Jackson Brewery
1489 Folsom Street, San Francisco [Map]

Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter and Facebook. Get in touch with the author @PQPP3.

Architecture
05/18/12 1:36pm

Architecture Spotlight: Chutes in The Haight

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Long before The Haight was known for Jimi Hendrix, White Rabbit and the Summer of Love, it was the go-to place for family fun-offering amusement park rides, a zoo, and a vaudeville house.

Prior to the completion of the Haight Street Cable Car line in 1883, The Haight was an isolated area of sand dunes and four nine-acre dairy farms. These dairy farms were owned by Harry Haight, R. Beverly Cole, and the Stanyan and Grattan families.

With the cable car came streetlights, gas, sewer and water lines and finally urbanization. The initial development consisted primarily of saloons, hotels and restaurants, but as real estate moguls realized that the cable car could transport working-class commuters to the downtown area, they swept in and built housing.

This western end of Haight was the primary entrance to Golden Gate Park–already a destination for weekend entertainment–so when Captain Paul Boyton of Coney Island franchised his Chutes Amusement to San Francisco, it was a natural place to build it. Located on Haight Street between Clayton and Cole, The Chutes opened on November 2nd, 1895.

(Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

When The Chutes first opened, it consisted solely of the Shoot the Chutes ride. The Chutes was an inclined trestle track that was 300-feet long and rose 70 feet above the ground. There were two-car tracks that took passengers to a room at the top of the slides where they would get on boats for a return ride down to an artificial lake. Entry was one dime for adults and a nickel for children.

The Scenic Railway ride came next. It was a roller coaster with dips and climbs that circled the perimeter of the grounds, nearly a mile in length. It consisted of an upper and lower track, but only one train was on the track at a time (each train was made up of cars that could carry six passengers each). The Scenic Railway terminated in an 800-foot tunnel that featured a lighted diorama depicting foreign lands.

Two more rides were installed in the amusement park: the Galloping Horses Merry Go Round, brought from England; and the Bewildering London Door Maze, a maze consisting of doors-some fixed, some moving-that took some time to work through.

An ad that ran in the November 5, 1895,  San Francisco Call read:

Good Morning
Have You Shot the Chute
On
Haight Street
One Block East of the Park?
Open from 1 to 10 p.m.
Admission Ten Cents
Concert Afternoon and Evening
If You Have Not
Shot the Chutes
You Don’t Know What Life Is

Wallace, the fiercest lion in America.  (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

In 1896 a zoo was added. The zoo’s headliner attraction was Wallace the Lion. Wallace was hyped as the fiercest lion in America; it was reported that he was untamable. The zoo included a South American jaguar, kangaroos, wallabies, leopards and bears, as well as, a hyena that refused to laugh. There were various species of monkey all housed in the Darwinian Temple, and many of them were available to touch and feed.

On June 27, 1897, the Chutes Theater opened. It claimed to be the largest vaudeville house west of Chicago, seating 3500 people and measuring 100 x 300 feet.

The Chutes were moved to Fulton and 10th Avenue in 1902, and then to Fillmore in 1909. Their final move was to Playland in the 1920s, where they were enjoyed until they were torn down in 1950.

After the Chutes on Haight were dismantled, the artificial lake was drained, and Belvedere Street was extended past Waller and Haight. Subsequently, more stores and residences sprang up in its place.

The residences of the Haight are primarily Victorians. At the time, Victorian-style architecture was marketed toward a conservative middle-class; hundreds of these residences survive today. The 1900 census shows that the Haight was a solid middle-class neighborhood consisting of married couples with children.

Today the largest age group residing in the Haight is 25-to-34 year olds with approximately 75% of the residents being listed as “non-family.” Despite suffering considerably in the 1970s from urban blight, The Haight has once again become a go-to place for fun with its unique restaurants and quirky shops.

Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter and Facebook. Get in touch with the author @PQPP3.

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Architecture
05/08/12 12:40pm

Architectural Spotlight: Woodward’s Garden

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On January 19, 1873, 12,000 people showed up at Woodward’s Garden in the Mission District to watch Frenchman Gus Buislay and a small boy soar aloft in a hot air balloon. The man who made it happen was Robert B. Woodward.

Woodward had made his fortune in the grocery store business. In 1849, he opened a store right off the waterfront to serve the ever-increasing number of people flooding into the Port of San Francisco for the Gold Rush.

With the acumen of a savvy businessman, he realized the ’49er economy was moving from supplies to service, and so in 1852 Woodward opened What Cheer House, a hotel and club for men known for its good food, safe accommodations and no alcohol policy.

Two women stand ready to enter the reptile house at Woodward Gardens in 1880. (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

Woodward’s family left Providence, Rhode Island, in 1857 to join him in California. Woodward purchased four acres of land and a house that had belonged to General John C. Fremont. The property was located on the west side of Mission Street between 14th and 15th Streets. He and his family lived in Fremont’s house while he worked to construct a mansion on one of the many hillocks in the area.

A year-long shopping trip to Europe would necessitate the construction of a gallery and conservatory on his property. Here he could show off the copies of famous sculptures he had had made, as well as paintings and other curiosities he had collected. But the true show piece of Woodward’s estate was its fantastic gardens.

Woodward began these gardens during the original construction of the house. Supplied in 1861 with plants, animals and artifacts from Europe, soon the gardens came to be referred to as the Central Park of the West. In 1864, he opened the estate to friends and acquaintances.

As the garden’s fame spread, members of the public began to stand outside for hours on Sundays, hoping to get a peek of the grounds. In 1866, with a little nudging from his daughter the grounds were open to the public. Woodward moved his family to the Napa Valley and dedicated his time to expanding his San Francisco Woodward Gardens for the enjoyment of its visitors.

Woodward Gardens Art Gallery 1836 (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

Recognizing the need for a constantly changing array of attractions, Woodward once again headed to Europe, bringing back crates of items ranging from the fashionable to the odd. Sailors he had befriended over the years also brought him curiosities from around the world.

It was said  that Woodward Gardens held the finest zoo on the west coast, with camels, zebras, buffalo, deer and even kangaroos. There was also a bear pit that held both grizzlies and black bears.

In 1873 Woodward opened an aquarium with sixteen tanks that held from 300 to 1000 gallons of fresh or salt water. The lighting of the tanks allowed visitors to see marine creatures in their natural environment. Visitors were entertained by the crabs, lobsters, shark, cod, flounders, rays, and the occasional ink-spitting octopus.

An amphitheater-that held 5000 people-presented shows featuring Delhi Fire-Eaters, Japanese Acrobats, Roman chariot races and Major Burke and his Rifle Review.

Camel Rides at Woodward Gardens 1880

Woodward’s home became the Museum of Miscellanies-a pair of 10,000-year-old mastodon tusks graced the front door. The house contained a mineral display as well as fossils and zoological specimens. At one point park goers could view the “largest gold nugget ever found”  from the Sierra Butte mine, a privilege they purchased with an additional .25 cents.

There were several restaurants on the grounds, and, just like What Cheer House, they did not serve alcohol.

General Ulysses S. Grant visited the Garden in 1879. That same year Robert B. Woodward passed away. Although his sons took over the running of Woodward Gardens, they lacked their father’s showmanship and could never match his enthusiasm for the place.

When the park closed in 1894, all the artifacts were sold at auction. Developers stepped in, graded the land, divided it into 39 separate lots and sold them-to become homes for the working class of San Francisco.

Plaque on the outside of Woodward Gardens Restaurant, now missing.  (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)  

While many people have never heard of Woodward Gardens, or could not conceive of a four-acre park filled with such wonders and curiosities in the Mission District, some signs hint to its existence. Today,  Woodward Gardens Restaurant  sits at the corner of Mission and 13th. Alas, the restaurant has no wandering ostriches or playful seals.

Looking Northeast from Robert Woodward’s house, 1865. (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

The Mission Street Entrance to Woodward Gardens, 1862. (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

Woodward Gardens, 1874.  (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

Gus Buisley’s balloon often bumped the windmill when ascending. (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter and Facebook. Get in touch with the author @PQPP3.

Architecture
04/26/12 3:56pm

Architecture Spotlight: Sutro Heights Park

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Copy of the original lion that stood at the Sutro Heights entry gate.

(Photo credit: UC Bancroft Library)

Adolph Sutro (1830-1898) was one of San Francisco’s most beloved mayors and esteemed citizens. Originally from Prussia, he amassed millions in the Comstock Lode (Nevada Silver Rush of 1859) by designing and constructing ventilated mining shafts. By cashing out just before the silver rain out, he was able to purchase fully one-twelfth of San Francisco, including all the western dunes and a section of the sea shore called the Outside Lands.  Sutro’s name is commonly associated with the baths he built in the Outside Lands. He did, however, leave another legacy. The site of his home, now Sutro Heights Park.

Sutro first encountered the future site of his Sutro Heights home in March of 1881 while visiting ” ¨the home of Samuel Tetlow, the owner of the Bella Union Music Hall. Tetlow had purchased the dwelling in 1860 from James Butler, the first developer of the Cliff House. It is said that Sutro fell instantly in love with the house and made a deposit of $1,000 (on a total sale price of $15,000) for the cottage and an adjoining 1.65 acres that very afternoon.

Carpet Bed designs including flowers, carefully trimmed grasses, hedges and moss were a standard feature in Victorian gardens. (Photo credit: GGNRA)

After purchasing the home, Sutro focused first on the grounds. He spent millions trying to recreate a European garden, dotted with statues, planters, and fountains. During an 1883 tour of Europe, Sutro arranged for the casting of more than 200 pieces of sculpture in Belgium. These were shipped to San Francisco in 1884. The sculptures (made of plaster, rather than marble, required an annual coat of white paint to keep the plaster from dissolving). In 1885, Sutro opened his gardens to the public for an entry fee of one dime. He hoped that the statuary would provide accessible examples of European culture to these visitors. The money he collected helped to pay the 15 gardeners employed to maintain the grounds. While many people brought picnic baskets for their visit, they were confiscated by the gate keeper and returned when the visitors departed. Litter, which often included peanut shells-hot peanuts were a popular snack of the era-were apparently too much for Sutro to bear.

Photo credit: UC Bancroft Library

In 1895, following a modest remodeling of the house, Sutro built a rock-and-sandstone parapet. Sited on the highest point of the estate, the parapet provides breathtaking views of the surrounding sea shore. Since its completion, the parapet has been a major focal point of visitors to the property.

As built, the parapet was a curved sandstone wall that extended in a semicircle for 280 feet. Thirty stone crenellations (notches), linked with iron railings and topped with statues or urns, defined the top edge of the parapet. Initially, the parapet also held freestanding chairs and two large Parrott-model cannons (each with a stack of cannon balls).

This small wood-frame structure originally featured carved wooden posts,  iron grillwork doors,  decorative shingles, and finials capping each roof end.  

The well house, built around 1885, is the last surviving building from the Sutro era. Although it is not clear whether the structure ever actually housed a well, it did contain the plumbing for the pair of drinking fountains mounted on opposite sides of the structure.

Sutro died in 1898, prompting a call for the City to purchase the property. In 1902, Charles Bundschu wrote in The Merchant’s Association Review: “He immortalized his name in our local history, not alone by planting of miles of forests near the ocean line, by the building of the monumental bathing establishment bearing his name, by the inauguration of a competitive electric [streetcar] line introducing the five-cent fare, but he showed his admiration of nature’s greatest gifts in the creation of Sutro Heights, a beautiful park elevation, overlooking the Cliff House point, affording an unbounded view of the vast expanse of the great Pacific Ocean.” 

In 1920, Emma Sutro Merritt, Sutro’s daughter, transferred the ownership of Sutro Heights to the City of San Francisco under the condition that it be “forever held and maintained as a free public resort or park under the name of Sutro Heights.”  The Merritts retained a lifetime residence on the property. Between 1920 and 1933 the Merritts continued to allow visitors access to Sutro Heights, which by this time was starting to show its age and lack of maintenance.

The Conservatory was built to house Sutro’s exotic plants collected from all over the world.  (Photo credit: GGNRA)

In 1933, at the request of Emma Sutro Merritt, the City of San Francisco agreed to assume maintenance of Sutro Heights. There were, however, no major improvements made or any rehabilitation of the grounds.

In 1937, the city submitted a proposal to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for the rehabilitation of the grounds at Sutro Heights. Some repairs were undertaken, and staircases were constructed at both ends of the wall to provide access to the parapet terrace. In total, WPA “improvements”  to Sutro Heights cost $90,994. When Emma Sutro Merritt died in residence at Sutro Heights in 1938, the City directed the WPA to demolish the aged home that had fallen into severe disrepair.

In 1976, the City of San Francisco transferred ownership of Sutro Heights to the National Park Service, to be managed as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The National Park Service is charged with identifying and preserving the historic features remaining on the site. Under Park Service direction, the grounds have improved significantly.

Today, Sutro Heights provides a large, green open space for visitors. The parapet still wraps around the hill allowing anyone to sit and gaze out onto the magnificent view. And now, at least, you can have your picnic on the grounds.

Sutro Heights Park [Map]
Point Lobos Avenue, San Francisco

Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter and Facebook. Get in touch with the author @PQPP3.

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Architecture
04/20/12 10:46am

Architecture Spotlight: The Beach Chalet

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Designed by architect Willis Polk, the Beach Chalet has served as a gathering spot on Ocean Beach for most of its life. With its hipped roof and hand-made roof tiles, this Spanish Revival building survived a takeover by the US Army, the raucous residence of a biker bar and 15 years of abandonment. Today it houses two restaurants, offering visitors a variety of dining fare to accompany the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean (more on that later).

The City of San Francisco built the Beach Chalet in 1925, at a cost of $60,000, to provide facilities for beach goers. The ground floor consisted of a lounge and changing rooms, while the upstairs held a 200-seat bar and municipal restaurant.

Labaudt’s mural of sunbathers with a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction

In 1936, under the auspices of the Works Project Administration (WPA), Lucien Labaudt was hired to execute 1500 square feet of frescoes on the first floor.  California WPA artists believed that their art should be inspirational, and they often painted the world not as it was, but as how they wished it to be. The Beach Chalet murals depict a serene and simple San Francisco life, which contrasted with the harsh reality of what many were experiencing during the Great Depression.

Two other WPA projects can be found at the Beach Chalet: a magnolia wood staircase titled Sea Creatures by Michael von Meyer, and a series of mosaics designed by Labaudt and installed by Primo Caredio.

During WWII the Army commandeered the Beach Chalet for use as its Coastal Defense Headquarters. The military considered San Francisco a potential target during WWII, so several defensive fortifications were established  throughout the Bay. The soldiers moved out in 1941, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) took over.

Members of the 78th Coast Artillery pitch camp behind the Beach Chalet. October 1941. (Photo credit: San Francisco Public Library)

The VFW used the upstairs as a meeting room, and the downstairs became a biker bar of some disrepute. The VFW held the lease on the building for 15 years. In 1981, when the bar became a public nuisance, the City raised the rent by $500. The VFW moved out, and the building was shuttered.

In 1981 the National Park Service declared the Beach Chalet a National Landmark, but the building was padlocked and surrounded by a chain link fence, left to remain unused for 15 years-with the exception of feral cat squatters and an occasional fire-inciting vagrant.

In 1987 the city allocated $800,000 for infrastructure repairs, including restoration of the artworks. This work was completed in 1989, and yet the building continued to sit empty.

Beginning in 1993 restaurateurs Gar and Lara Truppelli saw the commercial potential of this historic building and led a movement to reopen the chalet.

A $1.5 million grant in 1996 to the Friends of Recreation and Parks (courtesy of the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund) gave the building its second life. Under the supervision of the architecture firm Heller Manus, an elevator was installed, and the bathrooms were made ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. The Beach Chalet opened its doors to the public once again.

The Brewery sits behind the second-floor bar.

The upstairs now houses the Truppelli’s Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant, which makes beer with wonderful local names like VFW Light, Riptide Red and Presidio IPA. The downstairs lobby is open for visitors to enjoy the murals and mosaics, and has a few small displays of San Francisco trivia. Behind this main lobby is a sunny window-filled restaurant, the Park Chalet, serving lighter fare for those not inclined toward pub fare.

The Beach Chalet has shown the resilience of so many San Francisco buildings, surviving abuse by man and Mother Nature for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.

The Beach Chalet [Map]
1000 The Great Highway
San Francisco

Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter and Facebook. Get in touch with the author @PQPP3.

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Architecture
04/06/12 3:18pm

Architecture Spotlight: The Adam Grant Building

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The garland faà§ade, as well as the coffered entryway, were removed in the 1960s.

Over the course of its 145-year history, the Adam Grant Building at 114 Sansome Street has gone through several iterations. Constructed in 1867, the first building housed the dry goods business of Daniel Murphy and Adam Grant. Architect John Gaynor incorporated 250 tons of iron into this four-story brick structure located  at the  corner of Sansome and Bush Streets.  As a result, the 1868 Joint Committee on Earthquakes honored Gaynor, citing his structure as an exemplar of earthquake-resistant building. Ironically, exemplar or no, the building did not survive the 1906 quake.

In 1908, the Murphy Grant Company hired John Galen Howard and John (J.D.) Galloway Architects to construct a new building (on the same site) for their growing business. This second building, while often characterized as Beaux Arts, incorporated only the sculptural ornamentation characteristic of this architectural style. Otherwise, it was a very simple structure, standing six stories tall.

Nine-foot ornamented urns placed in a set-back corner

In 1926, Murphy Grant and Company moved their dry goods business out of the downtown area, and the building was again redesigned. Under the leadership of architect Lewis P. Hobart, eight more floors were added, and the building was converted into office spaces. In this third (and most current) iteration of  the Adam Grant Building, the first 11 floors are topped with three recessed stories with set-back corners. The large open space created by the set-back corners on the 12th floor are utilized as a terrace. During the 1926 construction, four 9-foot ornamented urns were placed at each terrace corner.

The ornamental garland, removed in the 1960s, was replaced in the 2000 restoration by Michael H. Casey Designs.

By the 1960s, architectural styles had changed, and the ornamentation of the main lobby and the entryway were removed.

In 1978, the State of California enacted laws requiring that external ornamentation on buildings in earthquake zones be secured. This resulted in the removal not only of the urns from the Adam Grant building but of a considerable amount of architectural ornamentation from buildings throughout San Francisco (removal often proved easier than securing items).

The interior coffered ceiling, removed in the 1960s, was replaced in the 2000 restoration.

In 2000, the current owners, Ellis Partners (owners and restorers of the Hunter Dulin Building), hired the architectural firm of Ottolini and Booth to restore the Adam Grant building to its earlier pre-1960s grandeur. Working with the original 1906 and 1926 architectural drawings, the Beaux Arts entry faà§ade and lobby coffered ceilings were recreated by Michael H. Casey Designs. Clervi Marble restored the marble floor of the lobby. And the exterior was graced, once again, by four 9-foot urns. These new urns, sculpted by Michael H. Casey Designs, were made of fiberglass, as it was surmised the originals, assumed to be terra cotta, weighed in excess of 1500 pounds.

Due to the care taken during the restoration, the Adam Grant Building has received an “A”  rating from the Foundation for San Francisco’s Architectural Heritage. This means that the building is one of the most important buildings in downtown San Francisco.  It is distinguished by outstanding qualities of architecture, historical values, and relationship to the environment.

Adam Grant Building [Map]
114 Sansome Street
San Francisco

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