Thought Paper 4: Golden Gate Park

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)>.