San Francisco California - Neiman Marcus - Old Department Store - San Francisco California - The City of Paris rotunda r

            Neiman-Marcus replaces the old City of Paris department store, a building that, thanks to its exquisite oval rotunda topped by a stained-glass dome, was as beloved a building as any in downtown San Francisco. Not surprisingly, San Franciscans were not pleased when Neiman-Marcus announced in 1974 that it had bought the old City of Paris building, which it intended to demolish for a brand-new department store; even Neiman-Marcus's agreement to preserve the rotunda within the framework of Mr. Johnson's and Mr. Burgee's new structure, a checkerboard box of reddish granite, did not mollify the opposition.
But the plan went ahead, and now that the building is done and the store is open, it is easy to see that the preservation-minded folk of this town knew wherefrom they spoke. For the Neiman-Marcus building, even with the gracious rotunda preserved, is one of this city's most conspicuous architectural mistakes. It is an awkward intrusion into San Francisco, a building that struggles to reflect a certain spirit and ends up, instead, capturing that spirit under glass and nearly suffocating it.
The City of Paris rotunda represents the vigor, optimism, and bold elegance with which San Francisco rebuilt itself following 1906. At least four generations of San Franciscans hold the sight of a sixty-foot Christmas tree under the gigantic lead glass dome as one of their best memories. The motto set in the uppermost glass panel of the rotunda remains the undeniable sentiment of San Francisco itself: Fluctuat nec mergitur . 146
   

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Taken in: United States / California / San Francisco / Downtown (show map)

Taken on: January 1, 2000

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Sets appears in: • San Francisco ~ Califorinia • California ~ USA

Groups appears in: • Old American Department Stores • Give Me 5 - Award The Next 5 Pictures Immediately!

Camera: EPSON Perfection V30/V300 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	EPSON Perfection V30/V300
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Intensify CK 1.2.3
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