Portal

San Francisco's Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities

De: John King

Narrado por: Gabriel Vaughan

A two-time Pulitzer finalist explores the story of American urban design through San Francisco's iconic Ferry Building.

Conceived in the Gilded Age, the Ferry Building opened in 1898 as San Francisco's portal to the world—the terminus of the transcontinental railway and a showcase of civic ambition. In silent films and World's Fair postcards, nothing said "San Francisco" more than its soaring clock tower. But as acclaimed architectural critic John King recounts, the rise of the automobile and double-deck freeways severed the city from its beloved structure. King's narrative spans the rise and fall and rebirth of the Ferry Building, introducing colorful figures who fought to preserve its character (and the city's soul)—from architect Arthur Page Brown and legendary columnist Herb Caen to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Senator Dianne Feinstein. A microcosm of the changing American waterfront, the saga of the Ferry Building explores the tensions of tourism and development—and the threat that sea level rise poses to a landmark that in the twenty-first century remains as vital as ever.

©2024 John Alan King (P)2023 Tantor

Grand review of a grand structure

great review of history and politics at the foundation of the story...and I need to revisit it during my next visit

Learned so much

San Francisco is my adopted forever home, and I learned so much I didn’t know about how the city got here (not just the Ferry Building!) and where it’s going to have to go.