SF Heritage News

In the latest Heritage News from San Francisco Architectural Heritage, I took note of two articles. The first one that caught my eye described a preservation incentive that is often overlooked. Owners of landmarked buildings can get creative with building use if it will facilitate the preservation of the structure. The second article was about the Preservation Green Lab developed by the National Trust. I am watching with curiosity the way in which preservation is embracing green.

Oakland Fox Theater

On Wednesday Heritage YP, San Francisco Young Preservationist Network, sponsored a tour of the Fox Theater in Oakland. This theater sat vacant for years before its recent restoration. The auditorium is enormous and features dramatic ornamentation that can hardly be described with words and photos do not do justice. The building really is a testament to the many people who were involved with the restoration and speaks to the positive impact on the community of bring a significant building back to its former glory.

Happy Birthday, Cliff House

Today the Cliff House is celebrating it's 100th Birthday!

HPC Meeting - 21 October

I arrived a little late to last weeks San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission meeting. Public Comment was already in process. Of the five speakers I heard, by far the most interesting was the one who indicated that he was in the process of nominating the Civic Center to the UNESCO World Heritage List. After Public Comment, Tina Tam relayed the status of the Landmarks Work Program. She mentioned ten resources from the Program but there are actually eighteen. Below is what I believe to be the correct Work Program List:

2005-2006
Doggie Diner Sign (Landmarked)
Del Monte Warehouse (?)
Musicians Union Hall (The owner's were not in favor of nomination)
Doolan/Larsen Residence (Landmarked)
Emanu-El Religious School (DPR 523 forms are 90% finished)
Bath House at Fleishhacker Pool (?)
Mother's Building (?)
Transit Shelters (25% done)
Arab Cultural Center (?)
Sailor's Union of the Pacific (?)
Forest Hill Clubhouse (?)

2006-2007
Van Ness Light Standards (10%)
Mona's Club (10%)
Sunshine School (Context Statement written)
Park MErced (EIR in process)
Tallant Flats (10%)
49-Mile Scenic Drive Signs (10%)
Mission National BAnk (25%)

While I understand the budgetary limitations for continuing the Work Program, I believe that it did serve an important purpose. In theory, it allows the public to express what is important to them and to, in turn, hear the priorites of the Commission. I suggest that the Work Program be changed into a "Wish List". No money needs to be dedicated to it from the Planning Department but when a student or volunteer is looking for a project they can be directed to a pertinent list of resources that need analyzing.
Next there was a discussion of the minutes. Secretary Avery indicated that she could not write in depth minutes because of lack of money and staff time. It was suggested that the minutes actually be shortened rather than lengthened.
All six items on the Consent Calender were pulled for full hearing. The first two items were located in the Eastern Neighborhoods Survey Area and were heard as part of the Interim Review Process. Item 5 was approved and Item 6 continued. Item 7 was a Certificate of Appropriateness for new signage on the Hotaling Annex-East Building, Landmark #13 which was approved with conditions. Followed by Item 8, a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new storefront and addition in Jackson Square Historic District; also approved. The Orpheum Theater, Landmark #94 received an approval for a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new door. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium however, looked as though it would not get a majority vote for their Certificate of Appropriateness for new signage and the vote was continued until more Commission members could be present. (Commissioners Chase, Buckley and Matsuda were not present at the meeting).
A presentation followed about the Historic Resource Surveys currently in process by the Department, during which I left the meeting.

Masonry Repair Workshop

Yesterday I went to a Masonry Repair Workshop given by Cathedral Stone and sponsored by the Western Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology. They covered the Jahn Restoration Mortars and we all got a chance to prepare a patch. Though I am already quite familiar with the product, it was fascinating to get to use it. I expected it to be wetter and stickier, and I was surprised at how hard it is to build up a patch that is overhanging.

20 years since Loma Prieta

Where were you? I was at my cello teacher's house in Palo Alto and instinctually got under a table and waited for the shaking to stop. At the time I was less afraid than in awe. Most pressing on my mind was the welfare of my family and friends. Later I was saddened and angered by the failure of bridges and structures.
Yesterday I again practiced my duck and cover skills during the ShakeOut earthquake drill. I also spent some time assessing my risks at the 72-Hour website. Tomorrow I shall check out one of the Big Rumble events.

Spreckels Temple of Music

During lunch today I walked over Golden Gate Park and snapped some pictures of the Spreckels Temple of Music. I worked briefly on this marvelous structure several years ago. Built in 1900, the Temple is made of Calusa sandstone. It suffered damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and received a major seismic upgrade. Several years ago water intrusion problems surfaced at the highest cornice. The decorative rosettes and modillions were jeopardized and in some case actually fell off. While the repairs look good, the color match is not perfect. Granted, matching patches is one of the greatest challenges for repairing unpainted stone!

HPC Meeting - 7 October

Last weeks San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission meeting was crowded indeed! Most of the public showed up for the portion of the hearing that was to discuss the landmark initiation of the Appleton and Wolfard libraries. However the hearing start out with a one-hour CEQA training. As I am comfortable with CEQA I skipped most of this presentation though I am sure it was interesting. This was followed by Public Comment and a handful of people spoke. The first speaker discussed soft story buildings which is a very pertinent issue as we have almost reached the 20 year anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Two speakers raised concern over a residence at 2750 Vallejo. A few others sited the lack of televised or electronic files for the HPC. I see this blog as a way to get at least some information out there about the meetings. I also spoke at Public Comment. My statement follows:
"Just a quick heads up about the Muni Substation at Turk and Fillmore which is as of yesterday back under City jurisdiction from its failed Redevelopment journey. This landmark is one of our most vulnerable. I hope that the Commission will consider contacting the Office of Economic and Workforce Development in regards to their upcoming community meetings to determine the fate of this building."
Public Comment ended and the Minutes were considered with changes made. The next item was a continuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness. Finally the Commission got to the first library project; Park Branch. This item had been continued from the last HPC meeting. Page & Turnbull was brought in as a consultant and some changes to the project were discussed. Though obviously eligible to be a landmark the Commission is aware that throughout the designation process, which takes at least 180 days, no permit activity can take place. As the project is already in the permit process it would be unfriendly to designate the building at this time. So the Commission voted to disapprove initiation with the intention of perhaps landmarking it after the project is completed, pending available money to do so. Commissioner Buckley voted against the disapproval. The next item was the highly anticipated initiation of the Appleton and Wolfard libraries. President Chase decreed a one minute time limit for each public speaker, much to the chagrin of those who had waited quite a long time for the opportunity. I had to leave the meeting before this item was finished. The Chronicle indicated that the final vote was 5-2 for initiating five of the eight libraries including the North Beach branch.

HPC Meeting - 16 September

Last month was so busy that I did not get a chance to write about the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission hearing from September 16th. The meeting started out with the first Architectural Review Committee gathering since the creation of the new Commission. The ARC is made up of Karl Hasz, Alan Martinez and Andrew Wolfram with Charles Chase acting as Ex-Officio. Since Andrew was not at the meeting Charles sat with the ARC. First, they reviewed the project for the Filbert Cottages. Buttrick Wong Architects proposes a relatively significant addition to this cute cluster of houses, including undergound parking. The proposal was well received. Controversial aspects of the design included an orange-colored rain screen for the addition and the extent of the set backs. The second item was heard even though the Committee was running over its one-hour allotted time. This next project included major construction to the Fairmont Hotel. It received a mixed review with Charles and Karl in general favor; Alan expressed concerns with the massive volume of the new work.
The full Historic Preservation Commission convened following these project reviews and the hearing schedule was rearranged. The next item was a planning training presentation that basically described the ins and outs of the planning department. This was followed by an informational presentation of the plans for Pier 70. I left the meeting during the middle of this presentation.

Pictures from the Leap Sandcastle Contest

Leap Sandcastle Contest - 3 Oct

Only one more day until the Leap Sandcastle Contest on Saturday at Ocean Beach. Come watch and cheer our team as we construct a scene from The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

HPC Meeting - 2 September

Last weeks San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission meeting was in a different room so that the electronics could be fixed in Room 400 of City Hall. Four people spoke during Public Comment including a woman from Bernal Heights requesting a nomination for their branch library, currently being rehabilitated. This was followed by a somewhat distressing Staff Report by Tina Tam indicating that there was no budget to continue the Landmarks Work Program. Also reported was the fact that the Parkmerced Draft EIR was due to be published Spring 2010 and that a Planning 101 training would be offered to the members of the Commission.

President Charles Chase then skipped over items to hear a Certificate of Appropriateness for a property in the Bush Street Cottage Row Historic District that had been bumped from the last meeting's calendar. Conditions were added to the approval including waiting for an opinion from the easement holder, San Francisco Architectural Heritage. Interestingly enough, the City Attorney said that conditions could not reference a non-government agency. While that seems obvious, I don't doubt that conditions including SF Heritage have been included in past approvals.

The next item heard was a project in the South End Historic District that had been approved by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board last year. The original project had been controversial as the design was a very bold statement with a liberal approach to the Standards. With the advent of new economic conditions the developer went back to the drawing board to make some alterations and presented the revised project to the HPC. The project was approved with design tweak conditions.

Most of the public at the hearing was waiting for the next item which was the Landmark designation of the North Beach Branch Library and Multi-property listing of the Appleton and Wolfard libraries. President Chase was recused to avoid a conflict of interest. Sadly I had to leave half way through the public comment for this item and was not able to hear the outcome of the item nor was I able to share my own comments. Below is what I planned to have said:
I am a preservation architect and my qualifications meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards for historic architecture and architectural history. I am also listed on the State of California Historical Resources Consultants List. In my professional opinion based on the National Register criteria the Appleton & Wolfard libraries and specifically the North Beach branch are individually eligible for local landmark listing. I have to admit I have done some soul searching in regard to this issue and I am embarrassed to say that I remember thinking several years back that the projects including the modern libraries wouldn't matter as much as those with the Carnegies. And it is exactly that type of bias that is one of the many hurdles that the preservation of modern buildings will need to overcome. The preservation of modern is going to be different than that of our earlier building stock both philospohically and technically. The Appleton and Wolfard libraries are eligible for local landmark listing and can hopefully also be turned into a positive platform to start an open discussion of the preservation of modern buildings in San Francisco.

Leap and Beatrix Potter

Today we met with the fourth and fifth graders at Jefferson Elementary School that will be helping to build our sandcastle for the Leap competition. The theme of the competition this year is classic children's books. In preparation for meeting the kids today I went to my local branch library, Sunset. It didn't take long for me to spot the Beatrix Potter books about Peter Rabbit and for me to remember how much I liked those beautifully illustrated stories. Perhaps those books influenced my preservationist tendencies. Beatrix Potter donated 4,000 acres in the Lake District of England to the National Trust.

HPC Meeting - 19 August

It was a full house at last weeks hearing of the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission. The meeting started with Public Comment. Regulars Aaron Goodman spoke about Parkmerced, and Peter Warfield about Park Branch Library. Also Alice Carey spoke about notification; seems there was a mix-up at the last meeting that I missed. The Staff Report included a discussion about the Appleton & Wolfard libraries and public comment for this issue lasted at least an hour. President Chase rearranged the agenda so that they could hear the letter from City Librarian Luis Herrera, Item 6. The outcome of the combined items was that the Commission decided to calendar a discussion on whether or not they should initiate a discontiguous district nomination of the Appleton & Wolfard libraries. Because these items took so long the agenda was again rearranged and the Consent Calendar was heard next. Of the four projects on the Consent Calendar one was removed for full hearing by Alan Martinez. The vote was unanimous approving the other three projects including, a new storefront for a building in the South End Historic District, a new deck for a property in Alamo Square Historic District and the new mult-unit residential building in the South End Historic District from last hearing. Pulled from the Consent Calendar, the project to put solar panels on City Hall was heard. A condition had been added at the last minute to remove the kiosks from the project. The project was approved unanimously. Item 12 followed which was a discussion of the integration of the survey material into the Market and Octavia Plan. I left before this item was finished.

Leap Sandcastle Contest

Mark your calenders. On Saturday, October 3, the Leap Sandcastle Contest will hit the beach for its 26th year. This event is the largest sandcastle contest in Northern California and will be held at Ocean Beach near the Cliff House in San Francisco from 10am-4pm. This year's theme is: "Stories in the Sand: Classic Children's Books."
Teams of building professionals partner with local elementary schools to design and build their creations. Our team includes Centric Construction and Kim Sykes, Architect, along with myself. All funds raised support Leap...Imagination in learning a non-profit that brings art and architecture into Bay Area Schools.

Boilerhouse

Over the weekend we had Sunday Brunch at the Boilerhouse in Richmond. The restaurant is located in the Old Ford Factory and is a terrific example of a successful rehabilitation project.

Noe Valley facade restoration complete!

The Noe Valley facade restoration is complete. Check out the before and after photos. Nice job, Mulhall Construction!

Wooden Window

Yesterday I visited the workshop and offices of Wooden Window Inc., located in Oakland. As I was led through the spaces, there was the calming smell of saw dust, mixed with the jarring noise of machinery. It was marvelous! Everywhere I looked there was a window or door in some state of construction; from a door rail being planed, to a dutchman being prepared, to a final assembly being painted. And each window or door being built or repaired, had a story. I was intrigued to see a piece being created for the restoration of the Sunnyside Conservatory. Talking to the president of the company, Bill Essert, was such a pleasure as windows are one of my favorite topics of conversation. In the same way that Bill and his crew could make beautiful windows all day long, I could happily survey and document windows for hours on end. Hopefully one day we will be able to work together on a project. For anyone who has a project that involves wood windows or doors, call Wooden Window!

Title 24: What's new

Yesterday I went to an informative seminar at the San Francisco American Institute of Architects office about the upcoming changes to "Title 24" (somewhat of a misnomer). Martyn Dodd of EnergySoft covered some exciting energy efficiency regulations to look forward to on January 1st 2010 including new forms and more complicated calculations. Cool roofs will be required on more structures. Exterior building elements will have to achieve lower U-factors (heat transferred through a building assembly per unit of time per unit of area). And because we are making our buildings tighter and tighter we will now need to provide continuous mechanical ventilation. I continue to be skeptical that this is the best way to achieve energy efficiency in San Francisco.

HPC Meeting - 15 July

San Francisco's Historic Preservation Commission finally has all of it's members and it was great to hear the new voices at last weeks hearing. During Public Comment two people came forward; one interested in landmarking the Alemany Farmers Market stalls and Peter Warfield returned to express his continuing dismay with the Branch Library Improvement Projects. In his Presidents Report, Charles Chase welcomed the new Commissioners. Matters of the Board followed and Alan Martinez requested that the Commission write a letter concerning the Exploratorium project. The next item received a continuance. Andrew Wolfram removed two items from the Consent Calendar leaving a Certificate of Appropriateness for new signage and lighting on a property in the South End Historic District which received unanimous approval. The two projects removed from the Consent Calendar were both ADA upgrades for buildings in Golden Gate Park. There was a really good discussion about compatible ramp design including thoughts about symmetry, scale/proportion, railing design and when it is appropriate to put accessible ramps in the front of the structure versus the rear. The project sponsor will return with a new, less substantial design for the Millwright's Cottage (Landmark 210) but the project for the Park Aid Station (Landmark 201) was approved as designed. Next the Irving Tunnel EIR was heard. This "tunnel" is located in Fremont and is part of the San Francisco Water System which is getting a major overhaul. While the Commissioners had lots to say about the design related projects, they had almost nothing to say about the EIR and did not write a letter. This was followed by a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new building in the South End Historic District. The project had been reviewed by the Architectural Review Committee of the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board last year when I was a member of both. The project sponsors had certainly taken our advice about trying to using materials that are compatible with the district. The result was a nicely designed building that speaks to its neighbors. Unfortunately the project had to be continued because of a minor error but the project will almost certainly be approved at the next meeting. I left the meeting before the rest of the items were heard.

Metro Theater

On July 7th the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the Metro Theater as Landmark #261. This nomination has been passionately debated from all sides. The main point of contention was whether or not to include interior features in the designation report. My own opinion is that breaking up an historic structure into features that are "public" and not, is a terrible way to think about a building and leads to poor design.

SF sewer vent covers

Not sure who built your San Francisco home? The answer might be found on the sewer vent cover in your sidewalk. For more fun sidewalk sightings check out this blog.

Old Mint tour tomorrow

Tomorrow Heritage YP is conducting a tour of the Old Mint Building at 5th and Mission. Establishing a federal mint in San Francisco in the 1850's "put San Francisco on the map" so to speak. Recognized as the most important building in San Francisco at the time, numerous brave souls fought back an inferno after the 1906 Earthquake to protect it from destruction. Today the enthusiasm is gone and it must wait patiently for some long overdue maintenance.

HPC - Final nominations

Phew! Well, it took almost exactly six months, but it looks like the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission will finally have all of its members with the last two seats approved by the Rules Committee of the Board of Supervisors this morning (James Buckley and Andrew Wolfram).

Roslyn, New York

Over the weekend my husband's grandfather celebrated his ninetieth birthday and we flew out to New York for the party. The family is from the Hempstead Harbor area of Long Island. Colonized by the Dutch in the 1600's, it is now a bustling network of towns, with old mills next to car dealerships and huge estates converted into housing developments; layers upon layers of history, both apparent and hidden. I hope to return again some time and explore more of the area!

HPC Meeting - 17 June

On Wednesday the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission began the meeting with Planning Staff presenting an update on the status of the Articles 10 and 11 code changes. Unfortunately it is very probable that the Board of Supervisors will not hear the changes until, at least, August because of budget problems. The Commission then discussed their letter about the Lombard Street cottage again and they are having difficulty finding the right wording. It was continued again. Ironically no one mentioned that the Building Inspection Commission voted to reject the proposed blighted and vacant building code changes that were initiated because of the demolition fiasco. I find this whole emergency demolition process fascinating. While the great divide between Planning and Building exists there can be no real solution.

The Branch Library Improvement Program, or BLIP, presented a projects overview. Numerous people came out to speak, both for and against. Turns out several libraries are slated for demolition, including the North Beach and Ortega branches and some of the projects propose questionable additions. I have not been diligent with following the library projects. Perhaps my general avoidance stems from my disappointment with the abandonment of the Old and construction of the New Main Library so many years ago. The Consent Calendar consisted of a signage project for Landmark No. 3 and was unanimously approved. Then it was back to libraries with a Certificate of Appropriateness for a project at the Presidio Branch. I left the meeting around three before the item was completed.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is one of my favorite books. Written by James Agee and featuring photographs by Walker Evans, the book is the result of a journey into, and documentation of, sharecroppers in Alabama in 1936. The experience was overwhelming for Agee and he struggled with what he saw. On "beauty" he wrote, "Thus there are conveyed here two kinds of classicism, essentially different yet related and beautifully euphonious. These classicisms are created of economic need, of local availability and of local-primitive tradition: and in their purity they are the exclusive property and privilege of the people at the bottom of the world. To those who own and create it this beauty is, however irrelevant and undiscernible. It is best discernible to those who by economic advantages of training have only a shameful and thief's right to it..."

Architectural Record - June issue

When I received this month's Architectural Record magazine in the mail I was instantly disturbed by its cover. The front bore the title "Adaptation + Preservation, Rebooting Yesterday's Buildings for Today's World." Rebooting?? Really? sigh. Terrified that reading the magazine would cause me pain I avoided it. I cleaned my house, I did my laundry, went grocery shopping, watched a movie... Finally I got up the courage today and reading it actually wasn't as bad as the cover made it out to be! Generally the projects were on the fringe of what is considered "preservation". But the overall tone was good and it did not further mention rebooting. The pictures of Our Lady of the Conception Chapel in Brazil by Paulo Mendes da Rocha were exquisite. Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown evoke memories of college and so I was interested in the article about moving the Lieb House in New Jersey. Sadly San Francisco was represented by an unfortunate experiment at 185 Post Street. At least they wrapped it up with the unbelievable Montpelier restoration!

On a side note, on Thursday at the SF AIA there will be a panel discussion entitled Landscape Design within the Historic Context (a very complicated subject!) Though I can't, those who can, should go!

Friends School

On Saturday San Francisco Architectural Heritage held its annual meeting at the San Francisco Friends School. Quaker design philosophy is extremely appealing to me and my great uncle, Selby Cluer, was a practicing Quaker and architect! It is tremendous that the Levi Strauss Company choose the Friends School for their historic building. During the Great Depression the Levi Strauss Company had it's employees lay new maple floors to avoid having to lay people off. These maple floors were retained to the greatest extent possible during the rehabilitation project.

HPC Meeting - 3 June

Today's San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission meeting was particularly interesting. During public comment someone expressed concern about the Park Branch Library which is a beautiful building and it is alarming to think that it might be in jeopardy. During matters of the board the Lombard Street cottage (see also blog posting HPC Meeting - May 20) was again discussed and I presented the following comments to the Commission.

"I think the the underlying problem with the emergency demolition process is that we aren't asking the right people the right questions. Times have changed. We don't need to ask an engineer, "Can we save this building?" We are at a point in which pretty much anything can be done. The question is what do we need to do to save the building and how much is it going to cost? Engineers are problem solvers. They don't want to write Feasibility Studies they want to be designing crazy, steel stabilizing structures with cranes and lasers and computers and things... The only limiting factor these days is money. So perhaps I am biased, but I think the question of whether or not to save a building lies with the Planning Department to assign its cultural value. If City Hall was falling down we would, and have in the past, pulled out all the stops to save it. Should we have made the property owner of the Lombard Street cottage pay whatever it takes to stabilize the building? Say it would have cost $500,000 dollars. Would it have been worth it? I think that is the question that should be discussed in the future."

This was followed by an approval of the consent calendar, which included three projects replacing their windows, and then an informational presentation about the status of the Notre Dame School (Landmark 137). The next item was a fantastic presentation by Mark Kessler, a professor at the University of California, Davis. He shared his views on the San Francisco "Auto-Row" typology. The presentation can hardly be justifiably paraphrased but basically he noted that "Auto-Row" buildings have "historicist" facades with industrial structures. He linked this approach to what was also commonplace in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Exposition buildings. A particular appealing analogy that he used was that destroying a building that contributes to a district was like pulling out a thread in the fabric of the built environment; leaving the other threads hanging. He sited the Patagonia Store as a good reuse project for an "Auto-Row" building.

The next item was an amendment to San Francisco Building Code Section 103A creating a vacant-abandoned building registry and additional maintenance requirements. This is a Supervisor Sponsored amendment and is directly in response to the Lombard Street cottage debacle. There were a lot of good ideas tossed around including outreach and hardship clauses. I think that to avoid some really bad press the City better take a good look at how many buildings they own that are vacant and make sure that they can pay for the new requirements before they ask the public to!! After this item I left the meeting and do not at this time know the outcome of the additional items on the agenda.

Wolf House

Over the weekend we spent the afternoon at Jack London State Park. I had read about the ruined Wolf House but had not seen it previously. Ruins are fascinating because they are so symbolically charged. There is the obvious connection with mortality; the structure, like an old person, at the end of its life. But the ruin also embodies heroic persistence against time and nature. The remnants of the Wolf House survived a destructive fire and while lichen grows and nature tries to reclaim the stone walls, they resonate defiance. Preserving a ruin is perhaps one of the most philosophically challenging aspects of the profession.

Placerville City Hall

The historic Placerville City Hall is for sale. Check it out!

HPC Meeting - 20 May

On Wednesday at the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission meeting there were some interesting discussions. First there was a staff report about a new permit tracking system. This system is still several years away from becoming a reality so it was sort of a tease to be talking about it now!

This was followed by another staff report about 1268 Lombard Street; a cottage built in the 1860's. The owners applied for and received an emergency demolition permit a few months ago under suspicious auspices. Highly publicized, the demolition has initiated several potential new ordinances including one for blight and one for vacant buildings. During the meeting it was suggested that one of the problems with the emergency demolition process is that the owner provides and pays for the structural engineer. This obviously compromises the engineer and prevents an objectively written report. The HPC plans on writing a letter about this item to be discussed at the next meeting (June 3).

In his President's Report, Charles Chase announced that the July 1 meeting would be canceled and that he wanted to calendar a discussion about the scope of staff review.

Items 5 and 6 were removed from the Consent Calendar and item 4 a Certificate of Appropriateness for a building in the South End Historic District received an unanimous vote. Item 5 was a Certificate of Appropriateness for a building in the Northeast Waterfront Historic District and the discussion centered around windows (one of my favorite topics!). The Commission agreed with the staff analysis that the true divided lite windows be a condition of approval.

Item 6 was particularly interesting to me as I briefly worked on the Muni Substation (Landmark No. 105) several years ago. The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency has been unsuccessful in restoring this empty, deteriorating building. They will no longer have jurisdiction over the building in the coming months and it will soon be transferred to the San Francisco Real Estate Division. A major concern is that the building will be even more neglected than it already is. I have felt for a long time that the Muni Substation on Fillmore Street is the most endangered of the Landmark buildings in San Francisco. The proposed project heard at the Commission meeting was to remove a non-historic shed addition and unfortunately did not include any additional restoration work. The vote was unanimous. By the end of this item (3:00pm-ish) I had to leave the hearing and do not, at this time, know the outcome of the final items.

News

There is an awful lot of demolition in the news at the moment. I've been in denial about the demolition of Paul Rudolphs Sarasota School. But sadly it will be gone by the end of the summer. And surprisingly there is an I.M. Pei-designed "brutalist" church in Washington DC that may get demo'ed too. This morning I read a rather sardonic article about the uncertain future of "the crappiest building Mies ever designed." It was actually kind of funny. With all this needless destruction it is always nice to hear Prince Charles talk about the saving our built environment!

Saving a Giant Sequoia

A small entry addition for my parents vacation house in the Tahoe Area was the first project that I completed on my own time. The house was L-shaped with the original entry at the crux of the L; a good distance from the road. In the winter, getting to the door was a challenge! The end of the leg that was closest to the street was octagonal. Designing a compatible addition to this marvelously angled construction tested my geometry skills. Another obstacle was a Giant Sequoia growing close to where we wanted to build. With some research and careful construction techniques this beautiful tree continues to thrive years later, much to my joy.

Little gas station

This is currently one of my favorite buildings in San Francisco. It is located at 16th Avenue and Irving.

Preserving Buildings as a Sustainable Strategy

Tuesday evening I attended a lecture entitled Preserving Buildings as a Sustainable Strategy at the San Francisco American Institute of Architects. I was overjoyed to hear a structural engineer, David Cocke, talk about preservation in such a positive way. In addition, he reiterated a skepticism with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design point system that I share. The lecture introduced me to two great ways to worry about the future of our planet; an EcoCalculator, and an Embodied Energy Calculator.

On a side note the San Francisco Young Preservationist Network (or Heritage YP) is touring the rehabilitated Levi Strauss & Co factory, now Friends School. Though I can't attend, those who can, should!

Historic Preservation is About San Francisco's Future

The article in the San Francisco Chronicle last week written by C.W. Nevius did not surprise me. I am used to his negative tone and uniformed remarks about historic preservation. However I was very happily surprised by Jack Gold's rebuttal article several days later!

Efflorescence - Part Two

In many cases efflorescence is more of an aesthetic issue and tends not to cause major damage. None the less, it should be removed once the water source has been averted. The removal process will range from easy to difficult. The thing I find ironic is that water is often used to wash the efflorescence away. Water was the problem to begin with! If at all possible, try to avoid using water to remove efflorescence. Start with a medium bristle brush and gently brush the salt residue off into a container for disposal. This technique achieved a satisfactory result on the vertical surfaces in my basement as seen above. A damp cloth will work on some surfaces, for efflorescence that is not responding to brushing. This worked well for me on the horizontal concrete.

There are even more aggressive ways of removing efflorescence including detergents and acids. However it is important to weigh the benefits versus the detriments. In general detergents and acids are harmful to the environment and specifically can be damaging to building materials. It is hardly worth the effort of removing the efflorescence with acid, if the acid also removes the surface of the building materials we want to remain. In my opinion, aggressive cleaners are only appropriate when stubborn efflorescence appears on an important character defining feature or if it is causing damage.

Efflorescence - Part One

Efflorescence is a surprisingly complicated phenomenon that has existing in our built environment for thousands of years. On the surface of it, efflorescence is simply water traveling through a material, such as masonry, dissolving alkalis which solidify again once the water evaporates. When evaporation happens at or near the surface of a material the alkalis are revealed as a white powder. (Note: Not all white residue on buildings is a result of this type of efflorescence. This is simply a common kind.)

After a flood in our basement, efflorescence appeared on the concrete and I shall use it to explain investigative and remedial processes. In most cases when one comes across efflorescence it is without previous knowledge of the source of water. The first step is always to try and figure out the path of travel of the water. This is not necessarily easy and writing out a list of possibilities is always a good idea. Although the flood in my basement covered a large part of the floor, efflorescence only appeared in one area. It is important to remember that efflorescence can only occur when alkalis have been dissolved into the water. You can still have a major water problem without efflorescence being the result.

Determining the source of the alkalis may help find the source of water. These "salts" can come from Portland cement, sand, soil, within a brick, or from the water itself; usually from a combination of sources. If the water that flooded my basement had alkalis in it, then most of the flooded region would have revealed efflorescence. In the same way if the alkalis had come from the concrete mix, then I would have seen more affected areas. Instead efflorescence was located along a crack in the floor. It is pretty clear that the salts came from the ground below the concrete that has been brought closer to the surface through the crack.

Once the source of the water has been remedied the efflorescence can be removed... To be continued!

Virginia Tech

On Friday I had lunch with a former professor from Virginia Tech who was in town for the AIA convention. She shared some news of Blacksburg which has changed quite a bit since I was last there, ten years ago. Later, our conversation inspired me to looked back over some of the projects I worked on in college; when I first started thinking about how to integrate new design into the existing built environment.

AIA National Convention

The American Institute of Architects National Convention was held here in San Francisco last week. 800 vendors filled the entire Moscone Center along with 20,000 attendees. I volunteered at the convention helping people get to where they needed to be. Questions about what to see with a brief amount of time made me think carefully about the places that make San Francisco. These are some of the places I think are core to experiencing the City:

• City Hall
• Alamo Square
• Castro Theatre
• Crissy Field
• Haas-Lilienthal House
  

CEQA

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a fascinating piece of State legislature dating back to 1970. Always enjoying a good CEQA discussion, I was quoted in a recently published article in arcCA with tips on how to navigate the process!

Noe Valley facade restoration

Project update for facade restoration in Noe Valley. With it's twin sitting right next door this re-creation has an abundance of evidence to work from. It took me less than three days to put together the drawing set. Mulhall Construction is doing a marvelous job as always! Only surprises with this project have been that architects can no longer receive the final permit from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection and that the original siding at the base of the building was different from its neighbor!

Media

Final Palm Springs California Preservation Foundation Conference comments. I attended a fascinating session on the Media. A panel of journalists shared tips on how to get a preservation story into print. Below are some of my notes:

• Be familiar with the writing styles and interests of local journalists
• Cultivate a relationship with local journalists
  
• Avoid bringing issues up out of the blue
• Create an event or tour at (or near) the site and invite the media
  
• Try to relate your story to big picture ideas
  
• Create carefully written and thoughtful pitches
• Provide captivating photographs
  

And once you get the attention of the media be careful! Journalists generally don't cover the same story twice so pick one that will portray you in the best light.

Banking hey-day

Two Palm Springs examples of better times for the banking industry. A sculptural Corbusian-like structure by Victor Gruen Associates, built in 1959, sits almost across the street from E. Stewart Williams' 1961 construction.

Donovan Rypkema

Back in San Francisco but still mulling over the California Preservation Foundation Conference. One of the highlights of the plenary session on Friday was hearing Donovan Rypkema speak. I was inspired to re-read his The Economics of Historic Preservation this morning which I highly recommend. During his talk Rypkema made numerous predictions including a labor shortage for preservation projects, a continued lack of work force housing, more demand for public transportation and baby-boomers becoming renters, to name a few. As preservationists must spend a lot of time investigating the past, occasionally we neglect equal consideration of the future, which is just as essential for the profession. Rypkema provides a full spectrum of platforms from which preservationists can delve into.

Palm Spring Arts Museum

Yesterday was such a full day at the California Preservation Foundation Conference that it will take several days to digest and share on this blog. Friday morning, the plenary session was held at the Palm Springs Art Museum. This building was built the same year I was born by E. Stewart Williams. As I am a Paul Rudolph fan it is no wonder that I liked this building. But while photographing the exterior I couldn't help but wonder what type of maintenance issues this building will command in the near future. One obvious problem is that the stone work is only barely embedded in a backer of grout and already I noticed some stones were loose or missing. One day someone will have to think about how to reattached all those stones!

Tramway Gas Station

Arrived in Palm Springs this morning for the California Preservation Foundation Conference. My first destination was the Tramway Gas Station designed by Albert Frey and Robson C. Chambers in 1963. Now used as a visitors center, this is an exquisite example of a compatible reuse project.

A Laodicean

Just finished A Laodicean by Thomas Hardy. The beginning of the novel features some fascinating little comments about the architectural profession in England in the late nineteenth century. I particularly enjoyed it when the architect protagonist declares "Shades of Pugin, what a monstrosity!" when confronted with a "contemporary" building.

Test

This is a test!