The DeYoung Building a.k.a. the old Chronicle Building a.k.a.the new Ritz-Carlton gets the King treatment in today's Chron. His opinion is one that's most likely shared with the majority of the San Francisco populace — the restoration= good, the new tower= bad. Although perhaps that's the intention? Quoth architect Charles Blozie:
"We want the new building to look like a building in the background...The idea was to do a quiet addition that was respectful to the original design, but also distinct."Fine. Thanks. With that out of the way, let's pause for a colorized history of the DeYoung Building, from start to finish.
11 years after construction, the DeYoung Building, designed by Chicago architects Burnham & Root still dominates Market Street.
Post quake, the the building sees an addition. Not quite as bold as the new Ritz Tower.
Sometime in the 60's The gorgeous structure was "modernized" with soulless paneling. This is how the building looked for the next 40 years.
Restoration begins in 2005.
Restoring the facade wasn't a matter of just stripping off the 60s cladding. The vertical bay at the front of the building was painstakingly recrafted and for stonework was repaired with stones cut from the same quarry as the orignal.
S.F.'s restored de Young building stunning at street level [SF Gate]
Ritz Carlton's 690 Market Street Overhaul Gets Overhung [Curbed SF]
[Front page image courtesy the San Francisco Chronicle]
[Photos courtesy flickr photog eiredarren]
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