Oct 082012
Ferry Building Plaza
Foot of Market at the Embarcadero
These two light towers, called Light Cannons, are approximately 65 ft in height. They are located in front of the Ferry Building and serve as the focal point of the Mid-Embarcadero Improvement Project. The towers are a combination of stainless steel, structural steel and cast-in-place concrete.
These two ”light cannons” are capable of projecting a pair of column-like shafts of light into the night air. The designer is ROMA Design Group of San Francisco.
They do look great, and I’d like to see them lit up in the night sky, but the first thing that hit me in the top pic was the ”light cannon” ball in front.
I like them a lot. Funny but the cannonball struck me at first too!
Do these ever get lit up anymore? The article says “capable of projecting a pair of column-like shafts of light” yet I have never seen them turned on.
They are maintained by Department of Public Works but controlled by the Port of San Francisco. They are really no big deal, expensive to operate but the light is really not to impressive. I expected a bright light like the Luxor Pyramid in Las Vegas, but it does not happen.
How about solar or wind powered lighting….not cheap but a commitment to carborn free renewable energy. Solar powered and small windmills on top of Ferry Bldg? Gov grants? Citizen commitment?
The entire plaza is a flop because there is no focus. The rarely used light towers symbolize everything that’s wrong.
Part of the problem was putting the metro smack-dab in the middle, instead of on one side or the other. That left them with little leeway to do much else.
This could have been a spectacular plaza. Given the setting, it is still beautiful during the day. At night, unless you are impressed with excessive street lampage, it doesn’t work.