Mark D. Kessler

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting and engaging it is, even for a Canadian who seldom manages to visit San Francisco. The first section is interesting from an architectural point of view, as it shows how the garages adapted their public façades from inspirational public buildings (look at me, I'm a Transportation Hub! I'm a Portal!), built the garage behind to fulfill various practical functions including sales, storage and repair, and then had to somehow fit the whole thing onto the often steeply-sloped streets of San Francisco. Part Two discusses the significance of public garages, which were far more versatile than the parking garage of the late 20th century, and touches on their social history and the issues with preservation. Both parts of the book are profusely illustrated, often with historical photos contrasted with modern ones to show how the sites have changed or what we have lost. The illustrations are well-chosen and fascinating.

Even without a chance to walk through SF and spot these garages, I find that I've gained the ability to spot these fascinating relics of the early years of the automobile in any city. I've also gained the background to understand why all those people in early 20th century fiction had to send round to the garage for their car, why detectives questioned the garage staff to learn the suspect's movements, and how inconvenient it could be to have a curfew imposed by your garage's hours. My life has been, in a minor but satisfying way, enriched.

It has been some time since I wrote the review, and this is clearly a thought-provoking book, because I've continued occasionally to ponder the questions of historical preservation which Kessler raises. Garages and similar utilitarian architecture, not considered "fine art" by historians, are too often considered disposable. But their beauty and their story have a lot to contribute to our life and a lot teach us about our history and how the automobile played its part in making us, as a society, what we are. It occurs to me that I really want to see at least one of the surviving garages of San Francisco (or Toronto or Chicago) declared a historic site and dedicated as a museum, presenting the subject matter of this book in a 3-D, multi-sensory format.… (mehr)

As an architect, I love to wander in out-of-the way neighborhoods of cities, discovering the details of life that go to make each city the unique blend of geography, history and people that it is. As our 21st century culture tries to blend us into lowest-common-denominator consumers, it is heartening to glimpse the cultural landmarks that remind us of our humanity and individuality. The public garages so ably surveyed in this book are a part of all that. Here is a building type that is often lost in the shuffle of more glamorous and in-your-face cultural icons. A fine addition to our architectural and cultural history.… (mehr)

If you’re interested in architectural history and preservation or in San Francisco history, this volume may be of interest to you.

I’ve lived and worked in the San Francisco area all my life and am an ardent advocate for historic preservation and adaptive reuse, but I have to confess that I never gave a thought to the public garages that dot the city. Functional rather than flashy, they’re not high on the list of a preservationist’s priorities. Author Mark Kessler’s focus is on the garages built in the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 through 1929. Public garages responded to the tremendous growth of automobile ownership during this period and the widespread lack of a place to store and service these vehicles near home or work. Kessler discusses the various types of garages and the styles used for their facades. Many of the architects involved in the design of these buildings are highlighted.

Excellent “then and now” photographs of many of the surviving public garage buildings are the highlight of the book. Not surprisingly, most of the buildings still have an automobile-related use, but a few are shown that have been creatively adapted. The author argues for increased attention to the best of the survivors, so that they don’t face demolition in housing-starved San Francisco.

The author’s prose is, it must be said, scholarly and jargon-laden, and parts of the book are not of great interest to the general reader. But for those willing to fish for useful information, the book is deep enough to accommodate the effort.… (mehr)