Saturday Travel Feature
SFAI, San Francisco, California

"San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus is in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. SFAI was founded in 1871, and is one of the oldest art schools in the United States.

"SFAI offers Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Master of Fine Arts degrees and Post-Baccalaureate certificates.

"The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was founded in 1871 and it opened the San Francisco School of Design in February 1874 under the direction of landscape painter Virgil Macey Williams. In 1893 the name was changed to California School of Design and the association affiliated with the University of California and inherited the mansion of Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill. Its museum functions continued under the title of the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art.

"The fire following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed both the mansion and the school. A year later, the school was rebuilt on the site of the old mansion and renamed the San Francisco Institute of Art. In 1916 the SFAA merged with the San Francisco Society of Artists and assumed directorship of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, then located in the Palace of Fine Arts, a relic of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The school was also renamed the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA). In 1926 the school moved to its present location at 800 Chestnut Street in San Francisco. In 1961 the school took its modern name, the San Francisco Art Institute.


"In 1969, a new addition to the building by Paffard Keatinge-Clay added 22,500 sq ft (2,090 m2) studio space, a large theater/lecture hall, outdoor amphitheater, galleries, and cafe.[1]" (See Link 1.)

"The Making of a Fresco" was painted in 1931 on the wall of the main floor gallery off the central plaza of the San Francisco Art Institute. It is one of four murals painted in San Francisco by the the Mexican artist. (See Link 2.) Other features of the SFAI building at the top of the Chestnut Street (800 Chestnut Street) hill are: the central plaza fountain, the ornate front entrance archway, and the rooftop area large enough to hold graduation ceremonies and giving a breathtaking view of San Francisco.

Photos: Top photo, SFAI tower, taken from cover of 1997 Commencement Day Program. Bottom photo, Diego Rivera murals inside SFAI, taken from cover of 19997 Commencement Day Program.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Art_Institute
Link 2: http://www.sfai.edu/page.aspx?page=34

Note: Amy Wilson, daughter of Suzanne Wilson, was granted a SFAI Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1997 and a SFAI Master of Fine Arts degree in 1999. She is a painter and teaches art at Diablo Valley College. (See Blog Post July 3, 2010 "Developing Environments, SF".)

Happy July 4th
Sunday Church Feature
Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Francisco, California

"Holy Trinity Cathedral Parish traces its history to December 2, 1857, when the first Orthodox Society was founded in San Francisco. Ten years later, on September 2, 1867, it was incorporated as the Greek Russian Slavonian Orthodox Eastern Church and Benevolent Society. During these years, the Orthodox population of the Bay Area was spiritually and sacramentally served by chaplains from Russian Navy ships that frequented San Francisco Bay.




"During the Holy Week of 1868, an Orthodox Priest was sent to the City from Alaska to conduct the Paschal services here. That priest, Father Nicholas Kovrigin, became the first permanent Orthodox minister in San Francisco Another Alaskan missionary, Archpriest Paul Kedrolivansky, became the first Rector of the San Francisco parish (+1878).


"In 1872, the Right Reverend Bishop John  transferred the headquarters of the ruling hierarch of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska to San Francisco. Since then, it has been a cathedral church...

"The bell tower of the Cathedral is adorned with a set of five wonderful bells donated by the Emperor Alexander III in 1888. Two other bells were locally recast from older bells that melted during one of several fires that seriously damaged the temple in the course of the years. (To actually hear the bells click on the Link, the "The Bell of Holy Trinity Cathedral".)


"The temple itself is illumined by a grand chandelier donated by the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. According to tradition, the Emperor also donated a richly decorated icon of his patron saint, Nicholas of Myra and Lycia, to the Cathedral.


"There are many gorgeous old icons on the Cathedral's walls. In 1993-94, its iconostasis icons were painted in old Russian style by iconographer Dimitry Shkolnik.


"Today, as at the very beginning of its history, Holy Trinity Cathedral is a multinational, or, more accurately, an American Orthodox community, the only Orthodox church in San Francisco where the services are conducted in English (with some Slavonic). Our community is wholeheartedly open to all and any Orthodox Christians. The majority of our parishioners today are "converts" -- Christians who have been consciously searching for the true faith and have found it in the Holy Orthodox Church." (See Link.)

Link:  http://www.holy-trinity.org/
Photo: Taken of Holy Trinity Cathedral at the corner of Van Ness and Green Street(1520 Green Street) in San Francisco in 2001by SW.

Saturday Travel Feature
Developing Environments, SF

Link 1  tells the story of the building at 540 Alabama Street "In the early seventies, a small group of artists and urban dreamers converged on a vacant three story wearehouse with the objective of transforming it into a community in which they could both live and work. After twenty-five years and all the major building improvements long completed, the artists today concentrate on their individual creative pursuits. The Developing Environments community encompasses a broad range of backgrounds and creative endeavors.  Painters, musicians, sculptors, print makers, graphic designers, computer artists, dancers, photographers, circus and theater performers occupy its thirty-six studios." 

The story lore passed down by the  residents is somewhat different.   When San Francisco was filled with hippies and flower children some of them found their way to the Mission warehouse area to find housing. One of the warehouses they found was at 540 Alabama Street. The upper two floors of the three storey building with large windows filled with makeshift tents.  Slowly temporary walls replaced fabric tent walls.  The walls were at odd angles, making odd shaped rooms as they were needed.  The center of each warehouse floor was left open for a communal space.  Here in 1972 the Royce Family established the artist coop Development Environments.  The haphazard living spaces were made into live/work units for artists.  Some of the apartments had water, some had kitchens.  The 20 foot ceilings allowed for lofts for sleeping areas to be built.  Bathrooms were communal and down the hall. The floors were the original cement of the warehouse.  A large freight elevator was available for the artists to move their heavy sculptures and large pieces of art work. (See photo below.) There are many stories which are said to take place in Developing Environments: a hanging on the top floor, the Treee Frog kidnappings, Project 2, and Dirty Pierre's Party Palace.

Today only artists can apply to live in the building. The artist is interviewed and submits a portfolio.  Monthly rents continue to be way below San Francisco housing prices, but residents are responsible for the upkeep of the building so must  volunteer for cleaning, painting, and maintenance workbees.   The Royce Family still owns the building under the name of Mariposa Trust and in 2010 Developing Environments will celebrate its 40 anniversary.

There are 36 live/work units in the building. Some of the artists who live there are: Amy Faville Wilson, a painter with work in the permanent collection at The Legion of Honor (See Link 2 and postcard photographed below.) and her husband Jody Hart, a writer; Brett Reichman, a painter with work in the collection at MOMA (See Link 3.); Karen Quest, a cowgirl performer (See Link 4); Shawn Harris, a photographer (See Link 5.); Moshe Cohen a clown with Clowns Without Borders (See Link 6.); and Bess Bair, who tap danced across the Golden Gate Bridge in 1976.

Link 1: http://www.lightdark.com/deweb/index.html
Link 2:http://artistregistry.artadia.org/registry/view_artist.php?aid=175
Link 3:http://www.artnet.com/artist/14086/brett-reichman.html
Link 4: http://www.kellypro.com/ImaginativeActs/KarenQuestCowgirlTricks.htm
Link 5:http://www.shawnrayharris.com/
Link 6:http://www.yoowho.org/
Photos: Taken in 2009 in SF at Developing Environments at 540 Alabama St. by SW. (Copy of advertising post card for Open Studios.)
Note: Artist Amy Wilson Faville is the daughter of Suzanne Wilson.

 

Saturday Travel Feature

Adagio in San Francisco

The Adagio Hotel in San Francisco was built in 1929 as the El Cortez Hotel.

Advertisements for the El Cortez were listed in editions of the 1951 and 1961 publications of the newspaper The Medesto Bee. In fact it was exactly the same ad. (See Link 1.) Later it was opened as the Shannon Court. Then in 2003 after an $11,000 renovation it became the Adagio Hotel. 

The Adagio at 550 Geary Street is in the Union Square area of San Francisco.  That makes it close to the theater district, the Powell Street Cable Cars, Moscone Convention Center, Chinatown, North Beach and Nob Hill.  The hotel features Spanish Colonial Revival architecture on the outside.  The ornate sculptured cement facade extends to the second floor. Tall detailed archways surround the three windows and the dark wood entrance doors.  The same detailed archways are above the two windows on each side of the second floor that are below the traditional San Francisco bay windows on the third floor.  In the middle above each of these pairs of arched windows there is featured a shield. These Spanish Colonial Revival features make the hotel unique even in the city of San Francisco.  Inside the renovations have provide contemporary luxury.

This boutique hotel has 171 rooms and 16 floors.  The luxury suites on the top floor have rooftop terraces.  On the 16th floor are two event rooms. The larger room has windows on two sides, both will spectacular views of downtown San Francisco. On the interior wall is a six foot fireplace with carved legs holding up a wooden mantel with carved details.  A wrought iron grill sits in front of the fire pit.   For weddings the fire pit is filled with large pillar candles.  Above the mantel is a large framed mirror.

Amy Wilson, daughter of Suzanne Wilson, and Jody Hart were married in this beautiful room on March 25th, 2006.

Photo: Taken in 2006 by SW.
Link 1:  http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W0ghAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1H8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1265,258433&dq=history+of+san+francisco+el+cortez+hotel&hl=en
Link 2:  http://local.yahoo.com/info-21334244-hotel-adagio-san-francisco

Saturday Travel Feature

San Francisco Cathedral

The Cathedral Hill Hotel entertained its last guest October 31, 2009.  This 44 year old San Francisco hotel opened its doors in April 1960 as the Jack Tar Hotel.  It remained under that name for 22 years. The 12 story hotel  on Van Ness at Geary just off Union Square included 400 rooms, a mezzanine ballroom, and a fourth floor outdoor pool and plaza that could be rented for weddings. At one time it had a rooftop skating rink.   As the Jack Tar it was painted pink and turquoise and then as the Cathedral Hill Hotel painted beige. Some called the hotel's modern architecture "ugly".  It was even nicknamed "The Ralston Checkerboard Square" and  "the box that Disneyland came in".  The hotel was  San Francisco's first  with air conditioning.  It also boasted an indoor parking garage, a rarity in San Francisco.  The Jack Tar name remained part of the Cathedral Hill Hotel in the naming of  the Jack Tar Bar and Grill.  

"Jack Tar was a common English term used to refer to seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy,  particularly during the period of the British Empire.  Both members of the public and seafarers themselves made use of the name in identifying those who went to sea. It was not used as an offensive term and seafarers were happy to use the term to label themselves." Wikipedia.

The Cathedral Hotel will be demolished and the California Pacific Medical Center will be built.  The 555 room hospital is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2015.  A glass and steel design is planned. 

Resource: The San Francisco Gate Newspaper 

Photo: Downloaded from www.hotels.com 

Link:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Tar