Film: San Francisco as Seen Through the Construction of Golden Gate Park: Two Film Documentaries

Just as Gold Rush San Francisco developed its own amusement parks in the hinterland of the Mission District, several decades later, a growing San Francisco developed Golden Gate Park as an amusement destination driven by the economic and recreational interests of the upper class. The history of Golden Gate Park's construction can be seen as a clash between the City's elites and the idealism of the park's designers who held that their bucolic, natural vision of the park was for the benefit of all citizens.

Spurred by earthquake damage, two of the park's major building attractions have been rebuilt in the last decade—the De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. These buildings have turned out fundamentally different from each other. What is the nature of these differences? Why might this have happened? How do these buildings use as well as give back to the park?

AIA San Francisco member and local architect Glenn Robert Lym, shows two of his recent short films on the history of the park and on the design of De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences.  

Event co-sponsored with the Harvard Club of San Francisco.

The popular Architecture and the City festival is expanding its programming and will now take place every month! The new monthly programming series showcases the best of the annual festival celebrating architectural tours, films, exhibitions, lectures and more. Visit www.aiasf.org/archandcity for more information. The official festival takes place September 1-30, 2010.