Signature Architects of the San Francisco Bay Area
When talk turns to architects who have made their mark in the San Francisco Bay Area, it often stops after two names-Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan. Widely admired, they are the stuff of legend. Maybeck and Morgan did much to create what we call Bay Area architecture. But they didn't do it alone. The fifteen architects profiled in this book were chosen not because they are the best the area has produced, though several are, but because their stories, taken together, provide a solid history of Bay Area residential architecture.But is there such a thing as Bay Area architecture? Many people say no. Historians have been arguing for years about something called the "Bay Tradition" or "Bay Region Style." The term Bay Regional Style was invented in the late 1940s and refers to several things-the idiosyncrasies of Maybeck; the wit of Ernest Coxhead; the influence of farm houses, barns, and adobes; the influence of Mission Revival; and modern homes that soften the International style by building in redwood and admitting regional influences like Maybeck and Morgan or touches of Japan.Dave Weinstein offers a detailed look at the Bay Area's master architects. From Frank Wolfe's idiosyncratic mix of details and foolhardy arrangement of windows, chimneys, rooflines and gables to Jack Hillmer's expressive use of natural woodwork and rigorous geometric designs to Ace Architect's playful style allied with post-modernism that deliberately recalls Bay Tradition architects from years past, this fascinating volume offers a rare glimpse of the talented architects who shaped the area.Dave Weinstein is a long-time Bay Area writer and journalist who has been profiling architects for the San Francisco Chronicle for three years, and writes about modern architects for CA Modern-the Eichler Network magazine and Web site. Dave also writes about historic preservation, the environment, history, and diverse issues for many Bay Area and national publications. A native of Long Island, Dave studied art history at Columbia University and journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. He's an avid hiker and dog-walker, and a dedicated preservationist who initiated the successful effort to preserve the Cerrito Theater, an Art Deco theater in his hometown of El Cerrito, California.