Architectural Legacies of the Bay Tradition Today
Saturday, September 27th, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Free!
Join the Swedenborgian Church and esteemed historians for a day of talks and walks as we explore the rich architectural legacy of the region in honor of our 130th anniversary! This two-part event offers a combination of casual symposium and a neighborhood walking tour.
Participation is free, no tickets required, and all are welcome!
SCHEDULE: Noted author and popular lecturer Dr. Gray Brechin will trace the pattern for the rustic architecture of State and National Park Service buildings to the Bay Tradition. Michael Corbett, author of several books on San Francisco architectural history, will briefly highlight the life and career of local architect Walter Bliss before leading a walking tour with fellow historian Ted Barrow. Wandering the surrounding neighborhood, you will learn more about key figures and hallmarks of First Bay Tradition, with the Swedenborgian Church as its centerpiece. The event will close at approximately 4 p.m. with final observations and refreshments.
BACKGROUND: The unique architectural aesthetic of our region that began The First Bay Tradition of the late 1800s with the circle of Rev. Joseph Worcester and well-known architects like Willis Polk, Earnest Coxhead, and Bernard Maybeck later echoed well into the 20th century in the prominent works of many others who may be less familiar. The legacy evolved beyond the ‘craftsman’ homes and churches of those early days to large, commercial projects throughout California, and even iconic national structures still admired today.
PARKING: Street parking only. Taxi, ride share, or public transit is recommended. There is limited paid parking available at the Jewish Community Center three blocks away at Presidio Avenue and California St.
LOCATION: Swedenborgian Church at 2107 Lyon St. in San Francisco, CA 94115
Featured Presenters
Dr. Gray Brechin is an historical geographer and author whose chief interests are the state of California, the environmental impact of cities upon their hinterlands, and the invisible landscape of New Deal public works. He received a B.A. in history and geography, a M.A. in art history, and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California at Berkeley. After a career as a journalist and TV producer in San Francisco, Dr. Brechin is still a frequent radio and television guest and a popular public speaker. The California Preservation Foundation gave him its 2013 President’s Award and the Book Club of California presented him with its Oscar Lewis Award for outstanding contributions to Western History. He is a Companion of the Guild of St George for which he delivered the 2014 Ruskin Lecture in Sheffield, England. He is currently a visiting scholar in the U.C. Berkeley Department of Geography and founder and project scholar of The Living New Deal. Brechin is author of “Imperial San Francisco, Urban Power, Earthly Ruin,” now a classic of urban studies.
Michael Corbett is a celebrated architectural historian and author who has researched and written about San Francisco since 1973. He is the author of “Splendid Survivors: San Francisco’s Downtown Architectural Heritage” (1979), the survey that formed the basis of the Downtown Plan and remains a standard reference on architecture in the city.
Ted Barrow, Ph.D., is an art historian and writer who recently completed his dissertation, “Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent in Florida” from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. In his work, he focuses on the enduring relevance of Gilded Age culture in our contemporary moment, as well as the intersections between art, architecture, and environment in Northern California. He has worked as a lecturer and curator in New York City, and has called the Bay Area his home since 2020.