Estero en Movimiento by Claudio Talavera-Ballón

 Posted by on May 14, 2023
May 142023
 

Battery Bridge Between Bush and Market


Public Art San Francisco

This street mural is by Peruvian-born, San Francisco artist Claudio Talavera-Ballón.

Talavera-Ballón’s inspiration for his 1,900-square-foot mural is Point Reyes’ Drakes estuary. “I want to celebrate the nature that surrounds us here in the Bay Area, also in hopes the mural can serve as a reminder to protect the richness and fragility of nature.”

The mural depicts the Pacific Ocean as well as the surrounding forests, farmlands, marshes, and shrublands that make up the estuary. Talavera-Ballón calls his work “Estero en Movimiento” (Estuary in Motion).

Estuary Street Mural

At a cost of  $26 thousand, the mural was funded by Downtown SF in partnership with Tishman Speyer, San Francisco Public Works, and the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Alicia McCarthy at the Proper Hotel

 Posted by on September 10, 2019
Sep 102019
 
Alicia McCarthy at the Proper Hotel

Market Street and 7th Street This mural, covering an entire wall facing Charles J. Brenham Place (extension of 7th Street) is by Alicia McCarthy. McCarthy’s work has a tendency towards the Naïve or Folk character and often uses unconventional media like house paint, graphite, or other found materials. McCarthy is best known for her weave paintings such as this. McCarthy was born in 1969 and grew up in Oakland where she presently resides. She received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1993 and an MFA from UC Berkeley in 2007. In 1992, the dean of the San Continue Reading

San Francisco’s Sister Cities

 Posted by on June 28, 2018
Jun 282018
 
San Francisco's Sister Cities

Hallidie Plaza Market Street This Sister Cities signpost was dedicated on June 28, 2018, it was created at the request of interim Mayor Mark Farrell. It was a joint effort amongst many departments of the city, Public Works managed the project and installed the foundation, SFMTA made and installed the signs, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission provided the pole. San Francisco’s sister cities include Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Amman, Jordan; Assisi, Italy; Bangalore, India; Barcelona, Spain; Cork, Ireland; Haifa, Israel; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Kiel, Germany; Krakow, Poland; Manila, Philippines; Osaka, Japan; Paris, France; Seoul, Korea; Shanghai, China; Continue Reading

Handsignals

 Posted by on August 17, 2015
Aug 172015
 
Handsignals

McCoppin Plaza Market Street and Valencia Titled Handsignals, this piece sits in a small park made available after the tearing down of the Central Freeway that once bi-sected the area.  The McCoppin Hub Project was a joint project between SFMTA, SFAC and SFDPW. For this reason it was impossible for me to garner from the hundreds of meeting minutes that I read, exactly what this piece cost the taxpayers of San Francisco. Originally proposed by Rebar the final product was created by MoreLab. Handsignals refers to the formal qualities of the numerous theater signs prevalent in the Mission District, and repurposes that Continue Reading

Promised Land

 Posted by on July 17, 2015
Jul 172015
 
Promised Land

10th and Market Streets Mid-Market As part of San Francisco’s 1% for Art program this 3500 square foot Public Open Space, at the corner of 10th and Market Street, was designed by Topher Delaney and Calvin Chin. The “official” description reads:” …cartographic layers of maps reflecting the exact location of the site in graded finishes of granite reflecting a scaled map 1:42 of San Francisco, bisected by intersecting granite trapezoids. One is etched with topographic lines indicating the California Coast and the other is etched with the watercourses of the Sacramento River which flows into the Richmond Bay surrounding San Francisco. Continue Reading

Abstract Sculpture at 100 Buchannan

 Posted by on August 26, 2013
Aug 262013
 
Abstract Sculpture at 100 Buchannan

100 Buchanan UCSF Dental Center Market Street/Hayes Valley These two abstract sculptures are by Andrew Harader.  Harader attended Cal State University in Long Beach and then received an MFA in 1976 at the Maryland Institute’s  Rhinehart School of Sculpture.  He is presently the coach at Andy’s Tennis Camp in Palo Alto. The piece is owned by the Dental Center April 2016 Update: These pieces have been removed.  The building is slated to be torn down in 2016 or 2017.

Journey through Books and Music

 Posted by on March 18, 2013
Mar 182013
 
Journey through Books and Music

1946 Market Street Castro/Mission The Mural is on the side of 43 Buchannan Titled Joyous Discoveries: A Journey Through Books and Music, this mural, by Keith Hollander won the Public Mural Award of 2001 for the Finest Mural in the SF Bay Area. The mural is now being lost due to construction on this corner. The books in the picture are: Chaim Potok, “The Chosen”, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “100 Years of Solitude”, Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, “The Art Book”, Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”, J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye”, and Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Continue Reading

Utility Boxes get Dressed Up

 Posted by on January 18, 2013
Jan 182013
 
Utility Boxes get Dressed Up

Duboce and Church Castro Mona Caron, who created the adjacent Bicycle Coalition mural on the back of the Safeway has added new touches to the Muni utility boxes on the sidewalk. On one side of the boxes, bicyclists entering the Wiggle are greeted by an illustrated flowing banner that lists the names of the streets that make up the route. On the other side, pedestrians are treated with a window to a re-imagined intersection featuring an uncovered Sans Souci Creek (which once roughly followed the path of the Wiggle). The title of this box is Manifestation Station.   This photo, from Mona Caron’s website, Continue Reading

The Art of the Jessie Street Substation

 Posted by on January 9, 2013
Jan 092013
 
The Art of the Jessie Street Substation

The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Substation 222-226 Jessie Street Market Street/Yerba Buena Gardens Tucked away in a dead-end alley between Market and Mission, is one of San Francisco’s few great examples of the architectural possibilities of the brick facade. Originally built in 1881, and subsequently enlarged twice, the substation was damaged in a fire in February, 1906, and almost destroyed in the earthquake and fire of April, 1906. Rebuilt in 1907, the building owes its present character to Willis Polk, at that time head of the San Francisco office of D. H. Burnham and Company, the Chicago firm that Continue Reading

The Great White Way

 Posted by on November 9, 2012
Nov 092012
 
The Great White Way

My interest in the revitalization of Market Street came about when I wrote this piece for Untapped Cities about the Hibernia Bank Building. A friend who has a wonderful website about the architecture of  Mid Market and other areas of San Francisco, titled Up From The Deep, introduced me to this project, and I feel so passionately about it and its success that I would like everyone to take the time to view the video, go to the website, and please, if you can, donate to the cause.   This is the purpose of the project “In San Francisco, an unusual Continue Reading

Thank You Tenderloin

 Posted by on November 2, 2012
Nov 022012
 
Thank You Tenderloin

Market and Turk Streets The Tenderloin Turk Street Side of the Building This mural, titled “Thank You Tenderloin” is a collaboration between Ricardo Richey also known as the Apexer, Neonski and Chez. Raina “Scar” Feger – a member of Living Miracle Productions * A major name in the Bay Area graffiti scene, Neonski became a member of the legendary BA (Burning America) Crew in the early 90s and in 1994, became the North American distributor of Barcelona-based Montana (MTN) Colors, a graffiti-writer owned, private company, and the first spray paint brand made by-and-for writers. MTN Colors has become a staple for Continue Reading

California Volunteers Memorial on Market Street

 Posted by on July 17, 2012
Jul 172012
 
California Volunteers Memorial on Market Street

Market Street at Dolores Mission/Castro * * * California Volunteers by Douglas Tilden – Bronze on a granite base Dedicated August 12, 1906 Erected by the Citizens of San Francisco In Honor Of The California Volunteers Spanish American War 1898 First to The Front At the end of the Spanish-American War, when the troops returned, San Franciscans went wild. Sixty-five thousand dollars was raised, $25,000 of which was allocated for a memorial. Douglas Tilden won the national competition. California Volunteers, a bronze work sixteen feet high and ten feet long mounted atop a granite base ten feet high, stands at Continue Reading

Chor Boogie

 Posted by on August 28, 2011
Aug 282011
 
Chor Boogie

Mid Market – San Francisco 2174 Market Street Mid market is a desolate stretch of abandoned store fronts and SRO’s.  This long frontage of boarded up building has been covered by an artist known as Chor.  This is not any random street painter, Chor has a worldwide body of work, including a commissioned piece for the Beijing Olympics.  His website displays his incredible talent, and his blog is loaded with fabulous images of his work. I had the privilege of seeing some of his art gallery work at “The City We Love” showing at 941 Geary street.  If you are in Continue Reading

Mid-Market StreeSmARTS Program

 Posted by on August 23, 2011
Aug 232011
 
Mid-Market StreeSmARTS Program

Market Street – San Francisco 998 Market at Taylor This is courtesy of the San Francisco StreetSmARTS program, funded by the Department of Public Works.  According to their website “It is by artist, Robert Harris.  For this mural, Harris creates an urban/abstract landscape that offers a renewed perspective of the city’s shapes and textures. Featuring a composite of historical and contemporary views of Market Street looking towards the Ferry Building, the mural presents a timeless scene of overlapping decades. Above the city skyline, a series of paintbrushes drip bright colors becoming a metaphor for San Francisco’s creative spirit. Bordering the Continue Reading

The Tenderloin – 20,000 Missing Seats

 Posted by on July 31, 2011
Jul 312011
 
The Tenderloin - 20,000 Missing Seats

The Tenderloin – Market Street Junction – San Francisco 6th -Taylor – Market Street This fascinating piece is on the back side of Show Dogs Hot Dog Stand at the corners of 6th Street, Taylor and Market. The mural is an homage to those movie and performance art theaters (Strand, Unique, Embassy, Rialto, Granada, Regal, Imperia, Pantages, Tivoli, Hub, State, Egyptian, etc) that once graced this area of Market Street prior to the 1906 earthquake and up into the 1950’s.  It is part of the S.F. Arts Commission 2011 Art in Store Fronts Project. The artist is Rafael Landea an Argentinean Continue Reading

Gay Pride – June 27, 2011 – San Francisco

 Posted by on June 27, 2011
Jun 272011
 
Gay Pride - June 27, 2011 - San Francisco

Gay Pride Parade – San Francisco – 2011.  It was a beautiful day on Sunday for a parade, and the town was out in full force. The first event resembling the modern San Francisco Pride celebration was held in 1970–a small “gay-in” in Golden Gate Park. Since 1972, the event has been held each year. The name of the festival has changed over the years.  The Rainbow Flag identified with the Gay community was originally created by Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Pride Parade. It originally had eight stripes, but was later simplified to the current six stripes. Continue Reading

Market Street – Blossoms of Interest

 Posted by on May 26, 2011
May 262011
 
Market Street - Blossoms of Interest

Mid Market U.N. Plaza Black Rock Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission has an Art In Storefronts Program that was intended to help the revitalization of the mid-market area of San Francisco.  I don’t know if that can be done, but I do love the fact that art is being brought out to the public, no matter what the cause. This piece is by Karen Cusolito.  The definition reads:  “Previously exhibited at the Burning Man event as part of her sculptural series Infinitarium in 2010, Cusolito’s ‘Blooms’ create a ‘scale-reversal’ environment in which visitors are obliged to take Continue Reading

Edgar Walter and Electric Power

 Posted by on March 29, 2001
Mar 292001
 
Edgar Walter and Electric Power

Pacific Gas and Electric Building 245 Market Street Embarcadero/Financial District Above the arched entryway to the Pacific Gas and Electric building is this bas-relief depicting the primary activities of the company, hydroelectric power.  At the top is a waterworks with water pouring through three openings symbolizing the “falling waters” that come from the mountains.  This sign is flanked with two kneeling men facing the center.  Under the base is a head of a grizzly bear, set amidst foliage, claws showing over the rim of the archway. The sculptor for this entry way was Edgar Walter. Edgar Walter  was born in Continue Reading

245 Market Standing As A Remembrance of Skyscrapers of Old

 Posted by on March 29, 2001
Mar 292001
 
245 Market Standing As A Remembrance of Skyscrapers of Old

245 Market Street Financial District / Embarcadero The seventeen story Pacific Gas and Electric Company General Office Building, designed by Bakewell & Brown and built between 1923 and 1925, is one of a series of skyscrapers built during the 1910s and 1920s which imparted to San Francisco its downtown character. This character of large ornamented classic buildings is fast being lost with newer modern style buildings.  245 Market was also one of the first steel skyscrapers built in San Francisco. The building was enlarged in 1945-1947 to the design of Arthur Brown, Jr. The addition, which has its own address at 25 Beale Street, Continue Reading

Mechanics Monument

 Posted by on March 28, 2001
Mar 282001
 
Mechanics Monument

Market at Bush and Battery Mechanics Monument Douglas Tilden This sculpture by Douglas Tilden was one of three major art works for the Market Street Beautification Project at the turn of the 20th century. It was funded with a bequest of $25,000 from James Mervyn Donahue, the son of the late Peter Donahue, who in 1850 started the state’s first ironworks and machine shop, established the first gas company for street lighting in the city in 1852, and later initiated the first streetcar line. Commissioned to create a monument for the Donahues, Tilden had difficulty finding an idea. Taking a Continue Reading

Fountain at One Bush Plaza

 Posted by on March 27, 2001
Mar 272001
 
Fountain at One Bush Plaza

Financial District One Bush Plaza Crown Zellerbach Building This beautiful and timeless fountain was made in 1959. It was a creation of artist David Tolerton.  Tolerton was born in 1907 and died of natural causes at 93. His father came to the Bay area in 1915 and owned an art gallery on Sutter Street in San Francisco.   Tolerton studied philosophy at Stanford University from 1926 until 1928, then attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where he also taught.  He also studied ironworking in France, Spain, Italy and Germany. His work was almost exclusively in metal, but apparently he spent some time Continue Reading

Woman in Bronze

 Posted by on March 27, 2001
Mar 272001
 
Woman in Bronze

Financial District One Bush Plaza Woman in Bronze Marcello Mascherini 1959 Marcello Mascherini was an Italian sculptor, born in Padua, who lived from 1906 to 1983.  While an extremely famous sculptor in his time, little is written about him today.  Marcello Mascherini was a prolific sculptor who made an impact on Italian art. Mascherini’s sculptures are on display in Rome at Palazzo Montecitorio where they have rested since after his death in 1969. This particular sculpture was mentioned in Life Magazine’s “Life Guide – Art in Buildings” in 1963.

One Bush Plaza and Its Environs

 Posted by on March 26, 2001
Mar 262001
 
One Bush Plaza and Its Environs

1 Bush Plaza Market Street Area One Bush Plaza, also known as the Crown Zellerbach Building, stands as a monument to International Style. International style is a phase of Modern architecture that began at the beginning of the 20th century, and continues as a dominant style in corporate and institutional structures in the 21st century. The term originated from the book International Style (1952). The book documented the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture held at MOMA in New York City in 1932. International Style encompasses three elements: expression of volume rather than mass, emphasis on balance rather than preconceived symmetry, and expulsion Continue Reading

Market Street- Waterfall Walls

 Posted by on March 25, 2001
Mar 252001
 
Market Street- Waterfall Walls

514 Market Street This Fountain has now been replaced – see bottom of this post. Waterfall Walls by Elyn Zimmerman This Public Art was provided by the 1% for Public Art Program This view is actually walking from Stevenson Street towards Market Street, which affords the nicest view. When viewing Elyn Zimmermans web page you realize instantly this artists loves large pieces of stone. * This is the view from Market Street.  The piece was Commissioned by the developer Tishman/Speyer and the San Francisco Arts Commission, in 1991. Zimmerman was born in Philadelphia, PA, received both undergraduate and Master’s degree in Continue Reading

Escalieta 1

 Posted by on March 24, 2001
Mar 242001
 
Escalieta 1

SOMA Financial District 49 Stevenson  Escalieta 1 by Manuel Neri –  Marble – 1985 This is public art created by the 1% Public Art Program Manuel Neri (born April 12, 1930) is an American sculptor, painter, and printmaker and a notable member of the “second generation” of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Neri was born in Sanger, California, to immigrant parents who had fled Mexico during political unrest following the Mexican Revolution. He began attending college at San Francisco City College in 1950, initially studying to be an electrical engineer. After taking a class in ceramics, he was inspired to Continue Reading

Admission Day Monument on Market Street

 Posted by on March 21, 2001
Mar 212001
 
Admission Day Monument on Market Street

Admission Day Monument Market, Post and Montgomery Streets Like the Mechanics Monument down the street, this work is by Douglas Tilden. Commissioned by Mayor James D. Phelan and unveiled on September 5, 1897. The monument commemorates the admission of California into the Union. The angel atop the statue is said to have been modeled after the artist’s wife. The angel carries an open book, inscribed “September 9, 1850” the date California became a state. The miner holds a pick behind his back, is armed with a six-shooter and is waving a flag in his left hand.  The monument stood for 51 Continue Reading

Monadnock Building

 Posted by on March 20, 2001
Mar 202001
 
Monadnock Building

Monadnock Building 685 Market Street San Francisco The Monadnock building has a fascinating history, and their website does a nice job of laying it out.  They also describe the murals: The twenty-four foot barrel-vaulted atrium lobby has outstanding Tiepolo-inspired trompe l’oeil murals, featuring famous people from the city’s past, by the Evans and Brown Co. The theme of this mural is “San Francisco Renaissance.” It is painted in the Renaissance Baroque style trompe l’oeil (which means to fool the eye) and chosen because the facade of this building was inspired by that period. That is why all these San Francisco Continue Reading

Lotta’s Fountain

 Posted by on March 19, 2001
Mar 192001
 
Lotta's Fountain

Lotta’s Fountain Market Street at Geary and Kearney Lotta’s fountain is probably one of the best known landmarks and pieces of public art in the city.  It is also the oldest surviving monument in San Francisco, Lotta’s fountain was donated by singer/dancer Charlotte Mignon (Lotta) Crabtree in 1875. Lotta began her career as a young girl performing for miners in the gold country and went on to become one of America’s most popular stage performers. The fountain was cast in Philadelphia, shipped to San Francisco on an 18,000 mile sea journey around Cape Horn reassembled and presented to the citizens of Continue Reading

Locks and Keys for Harry Bridges

 Posted by on March 18, 2001
Mar 182001
 
Locks and Keys for Harry Bridges

Lining the 200 Block of Stevenson Street Off of 3rd near Market   Locks and Keys For Harry Bridges was commissioned by Millennium Partners/ WGB Ventures Inc and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.  The piece is by artist Mildred Howard, who has been in this site before.  Howard is known for her sculptural installations and mixed media assemblage work, Mildred Howard has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Adeline Kent Award from the San Francisco Art Institute, the Joan Mitchell Foundation and a fellow-ship from the California Arts Council. When Howard was asked how she came by the Continue Reading

Market Street Angel

 Posted by on March 17, 2001
Mar 172001
 
Market Street Angel

720 Market Street Angel by Stephen de Staebler Kenneth Baker of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote this in 2002 “Several years ago a winged bronze figure by Bay Area’s sculptor Stephen de Staebler appeared without fanfare, nestled against a building facade on Market Street. Looking gnawed by time, as de Stabler’s figures typically do, it reads as an elegy for the waning of humanism, in the symbolic form of a ruined angel. By not overreaching in scale, content or its bid for attention, the piece achieves an improbable grandeur ” *   From DeStaebler’s obituary in the New York Times: Continue Reading

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