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photo by Donald Kinney
It's big, odd, and ugly... Pretentious as all get-out--but it does house some magnificent collections of art and has hosted some really great traveling exhibits--the Chihuly Glass exhibit a few years ago easily comes to mind.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
But this is the most recent iteration of the building. The 1895 Egyptian style building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and it's replacement--in the Spanish Renaissance style--started dropping pieces of it's highly ornamental exterior in the late 1940's. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that building was closed and "the powers that be" realized they needed something new (and expensive).
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Voters rejected bond measures twice, but finally a bond measure succeeded and with heavy support from private and corporate donations this new building went up. Some people loved it and some people hated it--such is life in San Francisco.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
The idea of covering the exterior with a perforated copper skin is rather unique but serves no practical function. The off-kilter "arty" tower houses the museum's offices and very little art, but has a fabulous observation deck with splendid views of San Francisco and beyond.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.
2 comments:
I understand that the "screen" exterior "skin" was used to control heat gain from all that glass. Not sure if that's accurate or not. Maybe a little snooping around, or a call to the architect could set the record straight.
- J
Great photos. Love your first photo. (The header) Have a nice day to you.
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