{"product_id":"the-san-francisco-civic-center-a-history-of-the-design-controversies-and-realization-of-a-city-beautiful-masterpiece","title":"The San Francisco Civic Center: A History of the Design  Controversies  and Realization of a City Beautiful Masterpiece","description":"\u003cp\u003eSan Francisco is known and loved around the world for its iconic man-made structures  such as the Golden Gate Bridge  cable cars  and Transamerica Pyramid. Yet its Civic Center  with the grandest collection of monumental municipal buildings in the United States  is often overlooked  drawing less global and local interest  despite its being an urban planning marvel featuring thirteen government office and cultural buildings.  In The San Francisco Civic Center  James Haas tells the complete story of San Franciscos Civic Center and how it became one of the most complete developments envisioned by any American city. Originally planned and designed by John Galen Howard in 1912  the San Francisco Civic Center is considered in both design and materials one of the finest achievements of the American reformist City Beautiful movement  an urban design movement that began more than a century ago.  Haas meticulously unravels the Civic Centers story of perseverance and dysfunction  providing an understanding and appreciation of this local and national treasure. He discusses why the Civic Center was built  how it became central to the urban planning initiatives of San Francisco in the early twentieth century  and how the site held onto its founders vision despite heated public debates about its function and achievement. He also delves into the vision for the future and related national trends in city planning and the architectural and art movements that influenced those trends.  Riddled with inspiration and leadership as well as controversy  The San Francisco Civic Center  much like the complex itself  is a stunning manifestation of the confident spirit of one of Americas most dynamic and creative cities.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44964315496501,"sku":"ByrdShop_1948908158","price":25.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781948908153.jpg?v=1770456757","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-san-francisco-civic-center-a-history-of-the-design-controversies-and-realization-of-a-city-beautiful-masterpiece","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}