I went here Wednesday because it was the last day to see an exhibit of outdoor sculptures by Les Lalanne, a French couple who sculpt fanciful bronze animals and human figures. I also went because although the building has been closed since the pandemic, I think the redwood park next to it has been closed for much longer and I was eager to see it again. There will be regular art exhibits here.
It’s quite a transformation. The beautiful redwoods remain but there is a lot more seating. There’s a bar in one corner (not open yet, alas). Also, the lobby is now a public space with a cafe and still more seating. An employee popped out a door and engaged me in conversation. He revealed that there’s an observation deck! I never knew that. It’s not open now but he promised it would be this year, including the chance to climb up the ladder inside the needle! Various online sources say the deck was closed after 9/11, that it’s never re-opening and/or that a fancy bar or private club with a view will open. We’ll have to wait and see…
So much seating! In the wide areas between the building and sidewalk on two sides there is still more grouped seating, comfy chairs with fabric pillows. I’ve noticed this elsewhere recently and I like this development a lot. The side of the building facing the redwood park houses a gallery, currently showing work by the architect who renovated the building, plus the Transamerica Building and garden itself. Models like these feed my love of dioramas and miniatures.
Next I walked to the U.S. Customs House, “an excellent example of the Beaux Arts Classicism style of architecture, which is characterized by classical yet exuberant details” and guarded by fierce stone lions. In front of the apartment building across the street is a wide cobblestone plaza. I saw many cobblestone areas on this expedition, places that either were streets, or the stones were reclaimed for new paving.
I walked through Sydney Walton Park, which features the Colombo Market arch leftover from San Francisco’s original produce district. A block or so away I found this plaque commemorating the Pony Express, which is impressively famous despite only existing for about a year and a half. It went bankrupt but would have ended anyway once the transcontinental telegraph line began service in 1861.
Onward to Levi’s Plaza. I worked here briefly in the 80’s and loved the park-like feeling of the campus with its many water features (and cobblestones!). The building now occupied by the restaurant Xica (and Levi’s offices) was previously the Italian Swiss Colony building, built in 1903. As the map shows, this area was formerly the waterfront and many similar warehouses were here. This building had tracks that went inside to ease unloading of wine. According to FoundSF it “was engineered to withstand the weight of 2 million to 2½ million gallons
wine,” which probably helped it weather the 1906 earthquake.
My last stop was outside and around the Exploratorium. One exhibit has mirrors mounted on wires that bob with water movement and cast glints of sun onto the underside of the pier roof. Another lets you see how the bay water color changes. I assume these funny little plaques were placed by the Explotorium but they’re uncredited as far as I can tell.
My grand finale was a Waymo self-driving car ride back to the BART station. It certainly was odd to see the steering wheel moving on its own, but the ride was quite sedate and less weird than I hoped. Still worth doing once! The windshield wipers were on the entire time, for some reason.