Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Sunday Stroll: SOMA-San Francisco

This weekend I took a stroll through the neighborhood of San Francisco's Financial District which overlaps with the SOMA neighborhood .  In addition to the wonderful galleries, museums, hotels in this part of town, there is a wonderful crispness in the air and a certain palpable optimism and energy.


One of my favorite discoveries was the 2002 Cesar Pelli designed J.P. Morgan Chase Building at 560 Mission Street.  This has to be one of the finest examples of how corporate architecture can add to a neighborhood in a positive way. From its low hung eaves, to its perfectly selected dark forest green steel structure lends it a wonderful organic feel and softens what could be an otherwise imposing structure.  The building also features a  tailored and art filled courtyard designed by Hart Howerton Architects which is inset from the sidewalk and provides an uxpected respite from the busy street.



2002 Ceasar Pelli
560 Mission Street, San Francisco
J.P. Morgan Chase Headquarters

560 Mission St. Courtyard, San Francisco
Design:  Hart Howerton Architects





550 Mission Plaza features Human Structures by Jonathan Borofsky



550 Mission Plaza features Moonrise Sculptures by Ugo Rondinone

The always busy Salt House (www.salthousesf.com) with its lovely industrial rustic chic interior is worth a visit for a little nibble and a well deserved cocktail.






Custom light fixtures at the Salthouse

Bye for now.
CG


Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Goods: USPS Commemorative Issue

If you haven't already don't forget to support the USPS and pick up your commemorative set of stamps:  Pioneers of American Industrial Design.  They are really quite lovely and a nice touch for those upcoming holiday cards.

Art director Derry Noyes selected objects designed by 12 of the nation’s most important and influential industrial designers to feature on this colorful pane of self-adhesive stamps.
Each stamp includes the designer’s name, the type of object, and the year or years when the object was created. The pane’s verso includes a brief introduction to the history and importance of American industrial design, as well as text that identifies each object and briefly tells something about each designer.




The Peter Müller-Munk stamp features a photograph of the “Normandie” pitcher, introduced by the Revere Copper and Brass Company in 1935. The photograph is from The Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.
The Frederick Hurten Rhead stamp features a photograph of two pitchers from the Fiesta dinnerware line designed for The Homer Laughlin China Company in 1936. Denis Farley photographed the pitchers for The Macdonald Stewart Foundation.
The Raymond Loewy stamp features a photograph of a pencil sharpener prototype created in 1933. The photograph is from Christie's Images.
The Donald Deskey stamp features a photograph of a table lamp that Deskey designed around 1927–29. The photograph is from Wright, the auction house, in Chicago, Illinois.
The Russel Wright stamp features a photograph of a fork, knife, and spoon from the “Highlight/Pinch” line of flatware designed by Wright in 1950. Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the flatware for the stamp.
The Henry Dreyfuss stamp features a photograph of the Model 302 Bell telephone introduced in 1937. Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the telephone for the stamp.
The Norman Bel Geddes stamp features a photograph of the “Patriot” radio, designed for Emerson Radio and Phonograph Corporation in 1940. The radio is part of the John C. Waddell Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York.
The Dave Chapman stamp features a photograph of two sewing machines from the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.
The Greta von Nessen stamp features a photograph of the “Anywhere” lamp, designed in 1951 for Nessen Studio, Inc. The photograph is from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York.
The Eliot Noyes stamp features a photograph of the “Selectric” typewriter, which was introduced by IBM in 1961. Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the typewriter for the stamp.
The Walter Dorwin Teague stamp features a photograph of the “Baby Brownie” camera, introduced by Eastman Kodak Company in 1934. Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the camera for the stamp.
The Gilbert Rohde stamp features a photograph of a clock created for the Herman Miller Clock Company in 1933. The clock is part of the John C. Waddell Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York.
The stamps on the Pioneers of American Industrial Design pane are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Bye for now.
CG