Embarcadero – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World

Point of View

Posted by Cindy on August 17, 2018

Aug 172018

Pier 27

Point of View is comprised of two sculptures that resemble lighthouses — one is installed at the Port of San Francisco, and an identical tower is in Haifa, Israel.

Viewers look into a periscope-like screen to see a live feed of the other location.

The installation is dedicated to San Francisco’s late Mayor Edwin Lee. The project aims to celebrate “the vibrancy of the cities’ art and technology sectors.” San Francisco and Haifa became sister-cities in 1972.

The Sister City Committee commissioned Saron Paz and Mathew Passmore to create the installation after San Francisco officials traveled to Haifa in 2016 with the mayor.

Saron Paz studied at the Holon Institute of Technology, The Design Academy Eindhoven, and The Sandberg Institute. He is CEO of the design studio ForReal Team.

Mathew Passmore heads Morelab. Passmore is a conceptual artist, a professional musician, an attorney and the National Librarian for Cabinet magazine. He studied Analytic Philosophy at UCLA and Law at the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Our Silences

Posted by Cindy on September 8, 2015

Sep 082015

Harry Bridges Plaza Until October 15, 2015 The Consulate of Mexico and Rivelino are touring Nuestros Silencios (Our Silences) sculptures, to deliver a message about freedom of expression. Each sculpture has a metal plate covering its mouth as an allusion to censorship. The artist hopes the installation will prompt reflection about the importance of speaking out. This installation toured Europe (Russia, Germany, London, Rome and Portugal) in 2009-2011. The most recent installation was in Ruocco Park at the Port of San Diego in January 2015. “Our Silences” is made up of 10 monumental anthropomorphic sculptures, in white and ochre cast Continue Reading

Trader’s of the Adriatic

Posted by Cindy on August 31, 2015

Aug 312015

The banking lobby at the Sansome Street entrance to the Bentley Federal Reserve contains a mural by Jules Guerin. “Traders of the Adriatic” features prominently in the entrance to the main lobby. It pays homage to the world of banking with its depiction of Venetian shipping merchants accepting receipts for goods on deposit and slaves attending to the masters of galleons while the masters give the Venetians rugs, gold, silver, and incense for safekeeping. In the background there is the Venetian coat of arms. The mural is oil on canvas and is dated 1922. As part of a building restoration Continue Reading

Torso With Arm Raised II by De Staebler

Posted by Cindy on April 17, 2013

Apr 172013

475 Sacramento Street Financial District De Staebler has appeared on this website before. Stephen De Staebler, a sculptor whose fractured, dislocated human figures gave a modern voice and a sense of mystery to traditional realist forms, died on May 13 at his home in Berkeley, Calif. He was 78. This bronze sculpture is an abstract figure of a human torso with an arm partially raised. The arm is incomplete. The sculpture was purchased for the Embarcadero Art in Public Places project.

Cloud Portal

Posted by Cindy on January 16, 2013

Jan 162013

Corner of Washington and Davis Golden Gateway Center This sculpture is titled Cloud Portal and is by Ned Kahn. Kahn has several sculptures around San Francisco Mist periodically emerges from the central void of a sculpture constructed out of stacked horizontal sheets of stainless steel. The mist alternately reveals and obscurs the view of the urban landscape that is framed by the sculpture. A collaboration with RHAA landscape architects the sculpture was completed in 2011.

George Rickey and his Kinetic Sculptures

Posted by Cindy on October 23, 2012

Oct 232012

George Rickey and his Kinetic Sculptures

Sydney Walton Park Two Open Rectangles Eccentric Variation IV Triangle Section by George Rickey 1977 George Rickey has several kinetic sculptures around San Francisco. Rickey (1907-2002) was one of two major 20th-century artists to make movement a central interest in sculpture. Alexander Calder, whose mobiles Mr. Rickey encountered in the 1930’s, was the other. After starting out as a painter, Mr. Rickey began to produce sculptures with moving parts in the early 50’s, but it was not until a decade later that he achieved the kind of simplicity and scale that would make him an important figure in contemporary art. At that Continue Reading

Celebrating the UN Charter through Art

Posted by Cindy on October 14, 2012

Oct 142012

Hinckley Walk at Golden Gateway Commons Fountain by Jaques Overhoff Jacques Overhoff has several pieces around San Francisco. Overhoff was born in 1933 in the Netherlands and studied at the Graphics School of Design and the University of Oregon. He moved to San Francisco in the 1950′s.

Henry Moore at 1 Maritime Plaza

Posted by Cindy on October 13, 2012

Oct 132012

1 Maritime Plaza Standing Figure Knife Edged by Henry Moore – 9161 This is an enlarged bone with the addition of a small head. Moore had always been fascinated by bones. “Since my student days I have liked the shape of bones, and have drawn them, studied them in the Natural History Museum, found them on sea-shores and saved them out of the stewpot. There are many structural, and sculptural principles to be learnt from bones, e.g. that in spite of their lightness they have great strength. Some bones, such as the breast bones of birds, have the lightweight fineness Continue Reading

Icosaspirale

Posted by Cindy on October 12, 2012

Oct 122012

1 Maritime Plaza Icosaspirale by Charles Perry – 1967 – 8 feet – Brass This sculpture is constructed of bronze rods brazed together into triangular sections. Those sections were assembled into an Icosahedron shape. Note that each triangle that makes up the Icosahedron is itself a spiral. Hense the name “Icosaspirale Charles O. Perry (1929-2011) was born in Montana. After graduating from Yale, Perry practiced architecture in San Francisco, California with the firm of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, from 1958- 1963. During his architectural career he had developed many sculptural models and was offered a one-man sculpture show in San Francisco. Continue Reading

Peacock Fountain at 1 Maritime Plaza

Posted by Cindy on October 11, 2012

Oct 112012

1 Maritime Plaza Embarcadero This Peacock fountain was designed by architect Robert Woodward. Robert Raymond (Bob) Woodward (1923 – 2010) was an Australian architect who gained widespread recognition for his innovative fountain designs. Woodward was educated at Granville Technical Granville and Sydney Technical College.Upon completion of his military service he enrolled in the architecture course at the University of Sydney. After graduating he worked locally for a year and then travelled to Finland to work for architects Alvar Aaltol and Viljo Revell. Upon his return he went into partnership, forming Woodward, Taranto and Wallace, specialising in commercial and industrial architecture. In 1959, Continue Reading

University of Wisdom in the Financial District

Posted by Cindy on October 10, 2012

Oct 102012

University of Wisdom in the Financial District

310 Battery Street Financial District Embarcadero * This piece sits on the other side of the Old Federal Reserve Building from Dionysus and Hermes, also by Armand Arman. The French-born American artist Arman told an interviewer in 1968. “I have never been — how do you say it? A dilettante.” Arman’s vast artistic output ranges from drawings and prints to monumental public sculpture. His work—strongly influenced by Dada, and in turn a strong influence on Pop Art—is in the collections of such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London and the Centre Continue Reading

The Mathematical Concept of Tau in Sculpture

Posted by Cindy on September 25, 2012

Sep 252012

The Mathematical Concept of Tau in Sculpture

160 Spear Street SOMA’s Financial District Tau by Roger Berry – Stainless Steel – 1984 96″ Diameter 14″ Deep Each of the four intersecting cones of Tau describes the form of the solar year. The forward side is in full light in the winter the back surfaces are filled with the summer sun. The building to the south of Tau casts a shadow on the sculpture much of the day. A prominent and highly respected northern California sculptor, Roger Berry, who has been called a “monumental master” has been commissioned to make over 30 site-specific sculptural works for municipalities and corporations from the West Continue Reading

Pacific Bird

Posted by Cindy on July 3, 2012

Jul 032012

Golden Gateway Embarcadero/Financial District 551 Battery Street * Pacific Bird by Seymour Lipton 1961 Seymour Lipton (1903-1986) was an American abstract expressionist sculptor. He was a member of the New York School who gained widespread recognition in the 1950s. Lipton was interested in art as an adolescent. Although his high school teachers wanted Lipton to pursue art, his parents encouraged him in his decision to study electrical engineering at the Brooklyn Polytechnical Institute and later to pursue a course of study in the liberal arts at New York’s City College. After college, Lipton continued his education in the field of Continue Reading

Fort Mason – Wind Arrows

Posted by Cindy on May 26, 2012

May 262012

* * Sailboat wind indicators mounted at on 3-foot intervals on a flagpole at the east end of Fort Mason illustrate how the laminar flow of wind changes with the height. This variation is often more complex and dramatic than expected. Along the San Francisco shoreline, for example, the difference of only 20 feet in altitude may mean a 90 degree difference in the wind direction. This is part of the Outdoor Exploratorium. It was created in partnership with GGNR (Golden Gate Recreation Area) and the Fort Mason Center. The interactive exhibits are designed to help visitors notice the subtle Continue Reading

The Embarcadero – Rincon Annex Murals

Posted by Cindy on November 23, 2011

Nov 232011

The Embarcadero Rincon Annex 98 Howard Street Panel #17 Panel #17. “Vigilante Justice Vigilance committees formed during the 1850’s in San Francisco to counteract excessive criminality and a weak city government. These committees handed down verdicts on their own terms. Vigilante justice was also popular in mining towns. This panel depicts vigilante actions in 1856 that resulted from the murder of newspaper editor James King of William by county supervisor James P. Casey. Casey was convicted and hanged at the same moment King of William was being buried” Panel #20 Panel #20. “San Francisco as a cultural center The famous Continue Reading

The Embarcadero – Rincon Annex Murals

Posted by Cindy on November 21, 2011

Nov 212011

The Embaradero Rincon Annex 98 Howard Street Panel #10 Panel #10. “Raising the Bear Flag The Bear Flag revolt established the Republic of California, one month before the United States won the territory in the Mexican War. John Charles Fremont was a prime force in instigating the revolt and William B. Ide became president of the short- lived republic. The original Bear Flag, designed by William C. Todd, flew over Sonoma for a brief time. The piece of white cloth seen lying on the ground was originally the Mexican flag. Because some people thought this was disrespectful Refregier painted it Continue Reading

Rincon Annex Murals

Posted by Cindy on November 20, 2011

Nov 202011

The Embarcadero Rincon Annex 98 Howard Street Panel #3 The murals in the Rincon Annex Post Office, have lived a long and very controversial life. In 1941 the WPA held a competition for the murals, it was won by Anton Refregier. He began work immediately and kept at it until they were finished in 1948, with a two year break during the war. He was paid $26,000 for the job, the largest job ever given by the WPA in the painting/sculpture arena. The twenty-seven murals (29 panels) are actually casein-tempra (a process of painting in which pigments are mixed with Continue Reading

Rincon Center Rain Column

Posted by Cindy on November 19, 2011

Nov 192011

The Embarcadero Rincon Annex Post Office 98 Howard Street The word “rincon” means “inside corner” in Spanish. In 1939, architect Gilbert S. Underwood, most famously known for his design of the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, designed this Art Deco-Moderne structure for the United States Post Office. In the 1980s the building was put up for development by the USPS. A 23-story mixed-use building was added on the south side of the block that contains a new post office, offices, and 320 apartments. During excavation, a number of artifacts from the long forgotten saloons, boarding houses and laundries, of the Continue Reading

The Embarcadero – History of our Street Names

Posted by Cindy on November 15, 2011

Nov 152011

The Embarcadero - History of our Street Names

The Embarcadero Looking Down and Learning History Archetypical Gold Rush San Franciscan, Sam Brannan was first in many achievements. He arrived in Yerba Buena by sea in 1846, leading two hundred Mormon pioneers, and founding the city’s first newspaper. He rode through the streets of San Francisco in 1848, announcing the discovery of gold for all to hear. In 1851, he inspired the vigilantes to take the law into their own hands and restore order to a chaotic city. The first California millionaire, he spent his fortune in building Calistoga as a health resort and lost it all. He died Continue Reading

Embarcadero – History of Street Names

Posted by Cindy on November 13, 2011

Nov 132011

The Embarcadero Continuing on our journey of “Looking Down” Quartermaster’s clerk of the Stevenson Regiment of First New York Volunteers, Edward H. Harrison came from an obscure post to occupy a respectable role in the nascent civic affairs of San Francisco, becoming Port Collector in 1848 before returning to the East in 1850. Harrison typified the ordinary men of the Stevenson Regiment, recruited from the Irish mechanics of New York, who arrived in California too late in 1847 to effect the course of the War with Mexico, but stayed to rise to prominence in the state. “And when the Future Continue Reading

Embarcadero – History of Street Names

Posted by Cindy on November 12, 2011

Nov 122011

The Embarcadero Continuing to look down. Vallejo Street These four are so badly worn, but this is what General Vallejo looked like It reads: Soldier, land-owner and diplomat, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo started life as the son of a Spanish soldier, and rose from cadet to Commandante of Monterey. From there he assumed command of the Presidio of Yerba Buena and later was made General of all Northern Forces in California. Founder of Sonoma, Vallejo, and Benicia. Vallejo became the most influential Californian in the decade leading to the American conquest. Early on General Vallejo clearly foresaw the fate of Continue Reading

Embarcadero – History of Street Names

Posted by Cindy on November 11, 2011

Nov 112011

The Embarcadero When this is the view from the Embarcadero it is hard to look down at your feet. If you do however, you will find some fascinating little historical tidbits. I searched everywhere to see what organization is responsible for the following and I found nothing. But welcome to a bit of San Francisco history.The Embarcadero runs along the waterfront. The streets that we will be looking at run down to the Embarcadero. These signs are all on the city side of the Embarcadero where the streets end. It reads: In February of 1853 the United States Topographical Engineers Continue Reading

The Embarcadero

Posted by Cindy on July 15, 2011

Jul 152011

Bronze Horse” by Marino Marini. The fountain behind it is by Robert Woodward. Real estate development projects in San Francisco are required to develop public spaces in order to obtain project approval. A good example of this is at the One Maritime Plaza building, located at Battery and Clay Streets, near the Embarcadero Center office buildings. The office building was built in 1964 for Alcoa Corporation. This building was the first to use the seismic X-bracing as part of its structural aesthetic. The formal plan for the garden squares on top of the garages was intended to create the effect Continue Reading

The Embarcadero – Sidney Walton Park

Posted by Cindy on July 6, 2011

Jul 062011

Sydney Grant Walton, for whom the park is named, was a San Francisco banker who lived from 1901 to 1960. Reportedly he was a multitalented business- man, cultural leader and vice-chairman of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. As the plaque outside the park states, he was “vital in the formation of the concept and development of the Golden Gateway.” The above sculpture is my favorite in the park. It has always appealed to me on many levels. In 1962, Perini-Alcoa (joint developers) held a sculpture competition to locate a fountain which would complement the Peter Walker designed park. They chose “Four Continue Reading

Sydney Walton Park

Posted by Cindy on July 5, 2011

Jul 052011

This is one of the entries to Sydney Walton Park in the Embarcadero Area of San Francisco. It sits surrounded by Jackson, Pacific, Davis and Front Streets. This wonderful park is full of art, and history. It is just a marvelous oasis in the middle of lots and lots of high rises. You will also find Kokkari Restaurant across the street on Jackson, one of the best Greek restaurants you will ever have the pleasure of dining in. The Arch above is the Colombo Market Arch on Front Street, it is the only structural piece remaining from the old San Francisco Continue Reading

Embarcadero – Commuting

Posted by Cindy on May 23, 2011

May 232011

This is our temporary Transbay Terminal. The old one has finally been demolished. The Transbay terminal was originally built in 1936 to handle the trains that came across the Bay Bridge into downtown San Francisco. However, after WWII, the train lines were removed and the terminal became a bus depot. Over the years it has become nothing more than a run down homeless refuge. I am all for their tearing down the old one, and I am all for building a new one, but I am not sold on the new ultra modern design to come. The new Transbay terminal Continue Reading

Embarcadero – Fly me to the Moon

Posted by Cindy on May 22, 2011

May 222011

Embarcadero at Pier 14 “Raygun Gothic Rocketship” is a temporary art installation on the Embarcadero. The project is sponsored by the Black Rock Arts Foundation, (the Burning Man group), with support from the Port of San Francisco. The rocket ship is a retro-futurist sort of thing, and according to the artists group “A critical kitsch somewhere between The Moons of Mongo and Manga Nouveau”. The piece is the work of dozens of Bay Area artists with three lead artists headed by Sean Orlando. They have a website that is really, really cool. It tells you all about the rocket ship and Continue Reading

Edgar Walter and Electric Power

Posted by Cindy on March 29, 2001

Mar 292001

Pacific Gas and Electric Building 245 Market Street Embarcadero/Financial District Above the arched entryway to the Pacific Gas and Electric building is this bas-relief depicting the primary activities of the company, hydroelectric power. At the top is a waterworks with water pouring through three openings symbolizing the “falling waters” that come from the mountains. This sign is flanked with two kneeling men facing the center. Under the base is a head of a grizzly bear, set amidst foliage, claws showing over the rim of the archway. The sculptor for this entry way was Edgar Walter. Edgar Walter was born in Continue Reading

245 Market Standing As A Remembrance of Skyscrapers of Old

Posted by Cindy on March 29, 2001

Mar 292001

245 Market Standing As A Remembrance of Skyscrapers of Old

245 Market Street Financial District / Embarcadero The seventeen story Pacific Gas and Electric Company General Office Building, designed by Bakewell & Brown and built between 1923 and 1925, is one of a series of skyscrapers built during the 1910s and 1920s which imparted to San Francisco its downtown character. This character of large ornamented classic buildings is fast being lost with newer modern style buildings. 245 Market was also one of the first steel skyscrapers built in San Francisco. The building was enlarged in 1945-1947 to the design of Arthur Brown, Jr. The addition, which has its own address at 25 Beale Street, Continue Reading

The Embarcadero Ribbon

Posted by Cindy on January 29, 2000

Jan 292000

The Embarcadero The Ferry Building, built in 1898, sits at the foot of Market Street. In 1953, San Francisco proposed the Embarcadero Freeway that was to connect the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges. Construction started at the Bay Bridge end; after 1.2 miles of freeway were built, neighborhood organizations began to gather and oppose the project. In 1959 the Board of Supervisors voted to stop the construction, marking the first time a government body had ever taken such an action. For years, the stub of freeway running across the waterfront stood as a monument to both grand freeway construction and Continue Reading

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