Kendall Steele
27 September 2012
FYS: Visualizing San Francisco
Professor Asher
The Proper Balance
Where is there a place
where one can play tennis, go to a museum, go to an aquarium, hike, bike, and
rent a boat for the day? Does such a place even exist? Well, after my visit to
the Golden Gate Park, I can assure that this place is very real. But it’s not
just all the amazing nick knacks and do-dads this park has that makes it so
unique, the beauty of this park is immeasurable. The Golden Gate Park website
wrote, “Measuring
more than 1,000 acres, the Golden Gate Park has stood as a symbol of natural
beauty, easily earning the title as one of the most visited city parks in all
of America.” In my opinion, the statement is very accurate. So how does this
natural beauty blend so well with all the man made buildings and statues? Well,
a lot of this has to do with the signage of Golden Gate Park. The signage that
is seen throughout the park is not only helpful, but it does a great job at
blending well within the surroundings. Today, I would like to talk about three
different forms of signage that are really mindful of their surroundings, the
statue of John McLaren, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Prayer Book
Cross.
To begin with, I think that
the statue of John McLaren, a horticulturist that is famously quoted for
saying, “There will be no ‘Keep off the Grass’ signs,” does a great job at
showing a harmonious balance between nature and man (Wikipedia). Rather then
being celebrated in monstrous, towering statue, McLaren preferred to be
remembered in a subtle way. This statue is modeled after the exact proportions
of McLaren. Therefore, McLaren’s statue, in a way, blends into the
surroundings. This statue is part of the overall development of Golden Gate
Park. Another aspect of the park that really helps form a certain carefree and
fun atmosphere is the California Academy
of Sciences.
As
said from the California Academy of
Sciences official website, “The Academy is a single structure but contains
multiple venues, including the aquarium, the planetarium, the natural history
museum and the 4-story rainforest.” So there is a lot going on inside this
museum, but what about the outside? The outside of this museum is something
amazing in itself. Take the roof for example. Approximately, “1.7 million
native plants have been planted on the 2.5 acre living roof,” (California Academy of Sciences). This
roof is stunning, and the fact that it is so visually appealing and nature
inspired, really makes the building fit into the overall motif of the park.
Further more, the exterior of this building gives a little preview of what
people can expect to find inside the museum. In my opinion, this museum does
the best job at fitting into its surroundings. Other museums such as the de Young, is more modern and doesn’t
have that much detail that is nature oriented. However, this museum is still a
great tourist location. Besides the science museum, the Prayer Book Cross and
its location, really makes it something remarkable and in unison with nature.
The
Prayer Book Cross is located in a remote and serene part of the park. You have
to walk up a little hill that is surrounded my trees and a beautiful waterfall
to reach the cross. The cross on the other hand, is massive. This is great
contrast between the fragile plants and animals that reside around this cross. What’s
makes this location so perfect for the Prayer Book Cross are the different
sounds and smells that one experiences while resting near the cross. You can
hear the birds’ chirp, the subtle sound of the waterfall, and the smell of
flowers as the wind carries it past your nose. So sure the cross is big and
beautiful, but it is its location that really sets it apart from any other
religious cross.
To
conclude, I have talked about how John McLaren’s life size statue, the California Academy of Science, and the
Prayer Book Cross are effective and important not just for the actual
construction of the objects, but because they are amongst nature. Which is why
the Golden Gate Park was created in the first place, to bring people together
so that they can enjoy nature’s gift.
Photos: 1, 2, and 3
Works
Cited
"About
the Building." Calacademy. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://www.calacademy.org/academy/building/>.
"History
and Geography." Golden Gate Park.
Golden Gate Park, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://www.golden-gate-park.com/history-geography.html>.
"John
McLaren (horticulturist)." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McLaren_(horticulturist)>.
