The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco near the Presidio was designed by Bernard Maybeck in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art. The Palace was rebuilt in 1965, and a renovation of the lagoon and walkways were completed in 2009.
There were many brides and wedding parties being photographed when I was there.
Bernard Maybeck is a well-known architect out west with an Arts and Craft style. He also designed a rustic stone lodge, known as Parson’s Lodge, in Yosemite National Park. In 2006 I had the opportunity to do an internship in South Lake Tahoe, California, at Glen Alpine Springs Resort. It was built around a spring in the mountains past Fallen Leaf Lake. I would hike up the mountain one mile everyday to be a docent at the resort. There is a one room lodge, a kitchen, and a few other small buildings.
Near my hometown in Illinois is another Maybeck gem, Principia College. Principia College is located between Alton and Grafton in Elsah, Illinois, off the River Road. The College was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993. You can drive through Elsah and up the bluff to the gate, and they will usually let you take a driving tour of the campus. It is a beautiful setting on the bluff, especially in the fall. The building of the campus was overseen by Julia Morgan, the first woman to be admitted to the architecture program at the School of Beaux-Arts.
Charles Hosmer is a noted historian of preservation who assisted in getting the National Historic Landmark designation for Principia College. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Principia and went on to get M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. Later, he was a professor at Principia.
If you get a chance to go to Principia College, send me the photos, and I will post them!
