Tonight at SPUR's headquarters on Mission Street in SoMa, the noted urban planning thinktank will host a gallery show of local photography highlighting the ever-changing layers of San Francisco architecture. Although the city's commitment to historic preservation can sometimes seem stubborn or frustrating, it can also lead to some of the most interesting, delightful and/or beautiful moments where new and old mingle to give the city a unique character.
The new exhibition is a curated collaboration between SPUR, San Francisco Architectural Heritage, Presidio Trust, CMG Landscape Architecture and local photographer Jeremy Blakeslee. In a recent article for The Urbanist the group explained their goal in looking at these architecturally significant moments:
At its best, historic preservation is a tool for managing change by finding new uses to reanimate old buildings and assuring that new construction relates to its surroundings. Sometimes, however, preservation solutions are born of conflict and result in compromises that do not serve either the past or the present.
The buildings or sites examined include the Armory's transformation into Kink.com's studios, the Exploratorium's rebirth on the Embarcadero, the preservation of the City of Paris rotunda in Union Square, and Jackson Square's evolution from Barbary Coast to bustling Financial District.
The exhibition opening is free (although there's a $10 suggested donation) and the works will be on display through the end of August in the lobby of the SPUR Urban Center at 654 Mission Street near Second Street in SoMa.
Previously: Dizzying New Photos From Above And Below The New Bay Bridge
