Rearview Mirror 1.2


Rearview Mirror 1.2 is part of a continuing series of articles at Suite101.com Architecture! Every few weeks, the series explores aspects of our built environment created by both architecture and "non-architecture" alike. We are always looking for new places to visit on our virtual roadtrip, so please feel free to send us your comments and ideas for future installments.

This chapter of the Rearview Mirror continues exploring the American West with a brief stop in one of California's most unique cities, San Francisco.

Palace of Fine Arts
Designed by Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, the Neo-Classical Palace of Fine Arts was the centerpiece of the exposition. The structure is composed of a central rotunda overlooking a landscaped lagoon. The rotunda is flanked on either side by an open peristyle featuring immense corinthian columns. The original structure of wood and plaster was reconstructed in 1962 with reinforced concrete. Today the Palace of Fine Arts is home to the Exploratorium, and stands a reminder of Maybeck's original vision for the design, a melancholic grandeur in the spirit of Piranesi and similar artists.

California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Constructed by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels in the 1920's, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor takes its inspiration from the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur in Paris. Given to the people of San Francisco on Armistice Day in 1924, the museum honors the Californians who died during World War I. Designed by architect George Applegarth, the museum houses a vast collection of European including paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, and Monet.

V.C. Morris Store
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1948, this elegant building features a carefully composed brick facade with and elegant arched entry. Inside the store, a gently curving ramp and luminous ceiling provides a future glimpse towards one of Wright's most noted works, the Guggenheim Musem in New York. The store is located at 140 Maiden Lane near Union Square.

The copyright of the article Rearview Mirror 1.2 in Architecture is owned by Patrick Larum. Permission to republish Rearview Mirror 1.2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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