Opened in 1981, the Moscone Convention Center was named after Mayor George Moscone who, along with Supervisor Harvey Milk, was assassinated in 1978[1]. The Moscone Center is the largest convention/exhibition complex in the City, consisting of three main halls spread out across three city blocks in SOMA. It produces a significant portion of the City’s revenue. The land had been claimed by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency[2] in the 1970s. Ironically, Moscone was originally vehemently opposed to its construction due to the displacement of elderly and low-income residents.
Outside the Center, at the corner of at Howard and Third, is Keith Haring’s Three Dancing Figures fabricated in 1989 and put on display in 2001. It consists of bright enamel (in primary colors) on aluminum on concrete.
Sculptures are prolific throughout the City and can be found outside at private residences, businesses, public spaces and parks. In researching this story, I could not find a comprehensive list of every sculpture on display: it is simply too daunting a task. Many of the more popular sculptures are mentioned repeatedly in various blogs and articles: the San Francisco Hearts[3], the Dewey Monument[4], the Yoda fountain and Andy Goldworthy’s sculptures in the Presidio[5], the Thinker at the Legion of Honor[6], the Wave Oregon[7], the Bankers Heart in front of 555 California[8] and the Chinese foo dogs at Dragon’s Gate[9]. These are my personal top 3:
1) Pneumatic Dreamer at the W Hotel at the corner of 3rd and Howard was designed specifically for the 4th floor terrace, which can be seen from the street below. Created by Michael Stutz, it is lit both inside and out to emphasize its exquisite metal weaving.
2) The Corporate Goddesses found along the roofline of 580 California. Created by Muriel Castanis in 1983, the twelve 12-foot fiberglass statues of faceless women have been likened to both angels and grim reapers. I find them fascinatingly creepy. Castanis died never divulging the meaning behind them. The building designer and architect described them as a “whimsical flourish”.
3) Venus, located at 33 8th Street. This 92 foot stainless steel sculpture looks like an etherial force sprouting out of the ground. It is located in the courtyard of Trinity Place Apartments but is open to the public. It is the largest free standing sculpture in the City and was created by Denver-based artist Lawrence Argent. It can be accessed via the entrance to the courtyard off of Mission.
A story about City statues can not be written without mentioning the John McClaren statue in the Rhododendron Dell in Golden Gate Park[10]. I laugh every time I go by it. John McClaren, caretaker of Golden Gate Park, hated statues, and fought City officials every time one of them suggested that a statue be erected. When he lost a fight, he ordered his workers to plant trees, shrubs and vines around the offending statues to hide them. Ironically, on his 65th birthday, McClaren was presented with a life size statue of himself. Horrified, he kept it hidden away in storage. But after his death, the statue was placed in the Rhododendron Dell. Meant to be placed on the ground and not on a pedestal, the statue looks much shorter than life-size. The first time I saw it I thought I was looking at a creepy man-child trying to figure out what he is holding. In actuality McLaren is holding a pine cone, meant to symbolize the two million trees he had planted throughout the park. While you have to actually hunt for most park statuary, the McClaren statue was erected in plain sight next to a huge fuchsia rhododendron bush that dwarfs the statue’s size even further. Made of bronze, you can see saw marks on its right leg after there were two attempts to steal it in 1953.
The Gallery has additional photos of other scultptures I’ve found in my adventures around the City.
[1] Moscone/Milk assassinations: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4126
[2] Housing Redevelopment: story coming November 15th
[3] Heart Sculptures: story coming January 26th
[4] Dewey Monument: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3154
[5] The Presidio: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5121
[6] Legion of Honor: story coming September 10th
[7] Wave Organ: story coming September 15th
[8] Bank of America: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3302
[9] ChinaTown: story coming October 18th
[10] Golden Gate Park: story coming April 4th
