The Early Public Garages of San Francisco

An Architectural and Cultural Study, 1906-1929

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Transportation, Automotive, Art & Architecture, General Art, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book The Early Public Garages of San Francisco by Mark D. Kessler, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark D. Kessler ISBN: 9781476601564
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Publication: April 26, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Mark D. Kessler
ISBN: 9781476601564
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication: April 26, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

In the quarter century from San Francisco’s devasting fire of 1906 to the beginning of the Great Depression, as automobiles exploded in popularity, new buildings had to be conceived and constructed to provide parking space and repair facilities. This book studies a number of the resulting public garages that featured façade designs based on historical architectural styles. Considering the garages’ function, the façades exhibit a surprising grace and nobility. Through an analysis complemented by photographs (including sixty by noted architectural photographer Sharon Risedorph) and drawings, the author dissects the architectural and cultural factors that lie at the heart of this unexpected merit. Addressing the discrepancy between the buildings’ beauty and the assumption that old garages are unsightly and disposable, the book examines them as cultural artifacts of the dawn of the Motor Age. The garage is presented as a new form of transportation depot, employing architectural symbolism to celebrate the ascendancy of the automobile over the train. Today, the surviving buildings are vulnerable to real estate development, in part because their quality is misunderstood. The book—a fresh perspective on the value of older utilitarian buildings—concludes with a call to preserve these structures and adapt them to compatible new uses.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the quarter century from San Francisco’s devasting fire of 1906 to the beginning of the Great Depression, as automobiles exploded in popularity, new buildings had to be conceived and constructed to provide parking space and repair facilities. This book studies a number of the resulting public garages that featured façade designs based on historical architectural styles. Considering the garages’ function, the façades exhibit a surprising grace and nobility. Through an analysis complemented by photographs (including sixty by noted architectural photographer Sharon Risedorph) and drawings, the author dissects the architectural and cultural factors that lie at the heart of this unexpected merit. Addressing the discrepancy between the buildings’ beauty and the assumption that old garages are unsightly and disposable, the book examines them as cultural artifacts of the dawn of the Motor Age. The garage is presented as a new form of transportation depot, employing architectural symbolism to celebrate the ascendancy of the automobile over the train. Today, the surviving buildings are vulnerable to real estate development, in part because their quality is misunderstood. The book—a fresh perspective on the value of older utilitarian buildings—concludes with a call to preserve these structures and adapt them to compatible new uses.

More books from McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

Cover of the book To Deprave and Corrupt by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Skyscraper Facades of the Gilded Age by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Jean Ternant and the Age of Revolutions by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book James Ellroy by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Myth in the Modern World by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Women and Erotic Fiction by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book The A's by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book The Trickster in Ginsberg by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Perspectives on Stephen King by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Anarchism and Animal Liberation by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book The Red River Campaign and Its Toll by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book The Artemis Archetype in Popular Culture by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Florence Nightingale, Feminist by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists of the Twentieth Century by Mark D. Kessler
Cover of the book Fitzgerald and Hemingway on Film by Mark D. Kessler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy