Downtown Deco: Walking Tour

Though the Art Deco movement was a French creation, it found a dedicated American evangelist in San Francisco architect Timothy Pflueger. This tour will reveal Pflueger's profound impact on the shape and aesthetic of San Francisco's early soaring skyline. His designs, along with those of other architects, reflected the times: His early skyscrapers invoke the jazzy buoyancy of the Roaring 1920s, and San Francisco's thriving economy throughout the period.
This comprehensive tour of Art Deco masterpieces in San Francisco's downtown will include the stunning lobby of the restored former Pacific Telephone Building including its Chinese motifs, the art-infused former Stock Exchange and Tower, the Egyptian-inspired Shell Building and, the neo-Mayan medical building at 450 Sutter Street.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES (1 LU)

1. Understand the history and design elements of the Art Deco movement and how it made its way to San Francisco in the 1920s.

2. Understand the history of San Francisco architect Timothy Pflueger and his early skyscraper designs and contributions to the city skyline.

3. Learn about the Art Deco influence in the lobby of the restored former Pacific Telephone Building, the former Stock Exchange and Tower, the Shell Building, and the medical building at 450 Sutter Street.

4. Recognize the differences between Pflueger's Art Deco designs and the movement's French origins, while visiting several historic Art Deco buildings throughout downtown San Francisco.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Center for Architecture + Design, 140 Sutter Street, San Francisco, United States