introduction

What do you see when you look at a building?

For me, it was usually a vague impression: it's old. It's new. It's beautiful. It's boring. It's got lots of windows. It's plain and looks like a prison.

But as I started looking closer, I started noticing more subtle differences. And I noticed I didn't have the vocabulary to describe that interesting … thing … over the sort of doorway area.

I wanted to learn more about what makes buildings special, and I needed to learn about all those elements so I could recognize them and talk about them.

Here's what I've learned.

William Faville, with his partner Walter Bliss, designed landmark bank buildings, corporate headquarters, and residences in San Francisco.

Walter Danforth Bliss, with his partner William Faville, designed landmark bank buildings, corporate headquarters, and residences in San Francisco.

Napoleon LeBrun began his career in Philadelphia before making a splash in New York with his office buildings, churches, and fire houses.

Cass Gilbert was a pioneer in the development of steel-frame skyscrapers. Many of his most famous works are in New York City, but his buildings also stand in Saint Louis, New Haven, and Washington, DC.

Stanford White was a founding partner of McKim, Mead, and White. His most famous works were residences for the wealthy of the Gilded Age, including several mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York.

Charles McKim was a founding partner of McKim, Mead, and White. His Beaux-Arts buildings - especially his notable New York City works - made him one of the most celebrated architects of the late 1800s.

Founded in Chicago in 1936, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill opened their San Francisco office ten years later. They've designed landmark buildings around the world, including the Shaklee Building, the Qantas Building, and the Alcoa Building in San Francisco.

California Street is one of the loveliest and most diverse routes in the city, passing through the Avenues, Chinatown, and the Financial District.

Art Deco is a building style made popular during the 1920s and 1930s. Art Deco emphasizes vertical lines and features stylized decorative elements.

There are some excellent examples of Art Deco office buildings in the Financial District and several smaller Art Deco buildings in the Marina.