About this Event
The Ferry Building not only is a waterfront icon — one of San Francisco's best-known landmarks — it also offers a rare vantage point to grasp how the cultures, values, and politics of American cities changed during the past 125 years.
Those shifts, as well as the symbolic power of architecture, are the subject of , the recently published book by John King, urban design critic of the San Francisco Chronicle and a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.
In a colorfully illustrated talk on Wednesday, August 7, at 7 p.m., King will explain how the Ferry Building came to represent so many aspects of Bay Area life. He’ll discuss how it was conceived as both a transit depot and a signpost of San Francisco's national aspirations; how the advent of automobiles and urban renewal turned the city’s downtown waterfront into an endangered relic; and how its 21st Century rebirth defined the region's "foodie" identity to the world.
He also will speculate on what lies ahead for the landscape of San Francisco, Berkeley, and beyond.
Tickets for this program, available on Eventbrite, are $5 for club members and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably.
Published by W.W. Norton, Portal spent two months on the bestseller list of the Northern California Independent Booksellers. (It will be available for purchase at King’s talk.) A reviewer for The Wall Street Journal calls it “a book of great charm,” by “a stylish writer with an eye for the delightful detail. He lovingly recounts the restoration of the Ferry Building and celebrates its new role in the city.”
King, a longtime resident of Berkeley, has written about the changing Bay Area for more than twenty years, including critiques of the ongoing tension between growth and community character in Berkeley. His previous books are (2011) and (2015). He received degrees from UC-Berkeley and the Indiana University School of Journalism, where the topic of his master's thesis was the legendary Chronicle columnist Herb Caen.
Although we all recognize the Ferry Building, King’s talk will forever change the way you see it.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave, Berkeley, United States
USD 5.00 to USD 10.00
