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

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