Union Square
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Union Square Collonade by Ron M. Fischer
Union Square was built and dedicated by San Francisco’s first mayor, John Geary in 1850 and is so named for the pro-Union rallies that happened there before and during the United States Civil War. Since then, the plaza has undergone many notable changes with the first most significant change happening in 1903 with the dedication of a 97 ft tall monument to Admiral George Dewey’s victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish American War. The second major significant change happened between 1939-1941 when a large underground parking garage was built under the square that relocated the plaza’s lawns, shrubs and the Dewey monument to the garage “roof.” It was the world’s first underground parking garage and was designed by Timothy Pflueger. The third most notable change was a $25million reconstruction in 2001.
These light fixtures by R.M. Fischer were specifically designed for the Union Square renovation. Fischer playfully invents a new visual style combining references to San Francisco’s rich Victorian architectural heritage with natural and ultramodern forms. According to Fischer, the work is intended to appear futuristic and historic simultaneously. “It is not an attempt to depict any particular idea of the future, but rather to suggest a sense of forward looking optimism and delight.” The resulting light sculptures are homogeneous hybrids ideally suited to San Francisco’s evolving urban fabric.
Fischer’s work consists of four unique sculptures ranging in height from 24 to 18 feet. Three of the works are composed of combinations of historic, painted lighting figures, polished stainless steel globes and larger clear spheres that are illuminated at night. The fourth work incorporates a five-foot in diameter brushed stainless steel sphere divided into two sections that are lit from within. The works are mounted polished red granite columns. Each sculpture is intended to aesthetically function as an individual work and as part of a linear ensemble and boundary for the square.
New York artist R.M. Fischer has had an illustrious career as both a gallery and public artist. He began his career using recycled materials to create eccentric, anthropomorphic light sculptures. His work received critical acclaim, leading to commissions for exterior public works including a lighted gate for Battery Park City in New York, light scones for the Holland Tunnel, and a multi-million dollar artwork composed of light columns for the Kansas City Convention Center. This is Mr. Fischer’s first commission in the San Francisco Bay Area.
