Landscape Block 38

Landscape images block 43

details, space, and remains....

Wonderfull wood detailing on the entry areas often are missed by people who live here, I asked a student who was sitting on his porch if he new what the design motif was? No idea, I asked him if he knew thomas dolliver church, no idea...I asked if he liked the detail, yep... Another space on the side of units, open for intent and use, is there for the taking. A pair of chairs, a card-table, shade on a sunny day. Spaces like this small un-owned except for the community that misses its true nature as shared community ammenity. And of course I find more "stumps" older cut down areas, looking over the maintenance yard I see the "parkmerced ad rv" which I wonder deeply how many replanted trees this vehicle could have planted on site, and restored the image, and cut landscape. Why talk to people who dont appreciate, and whose lives revolve around dollars and cents....

re-painted views, and spaces excluded...

A nicer image of a planter box on arballo, than a view of a painted stepped planter. The stairs go up, to a prior "sun-deck" space, since closed and fenced off, part of it is peeled back enough for some adventurous students or kids, to climb up and find a little smoking corner. The idea of this being re-used or utilized and refurbished by the owner seems out of the question due to liability. But the add of a proper rail, and use as a sun-deck, view spot, and even a shared community garden area for residents of arballo may provide rejuvenation for an underused unmaintained space.

All things "applied"......

Parkmerced's ongoing "plastering" of the site, includes the shown trim, cornice, and corner board vertical shown on block 37 "private arballo" which was the high end area of parkmerced due to assigned parking on the smaller loop road. These units are larger, and have views or private patio spaces. The front yard on two units was "re-planted" with drought resistant plantings. (typically they collect garbage) and the trim leads across the header of the door on one photo and dies. All things applied, plastered, added, thought as to its effects, besides profit, not many other motives.

Quality additions, visual pastiche, and dollhouse blues...

I watched intently as the owners did the additions, trim, and accessorizing of the units. I watched as tons of materials went into plastering pre-manufactured off-site window frames, and caulk tubes get used up kitschifying and dollhousing the buildings on site. (Originally I protested to the SF board of Appeals on this, they responded that it was only "minor" alterations when there were only 3 permits and over 30 units being "worked-on" as a "mock-up" for the rest of the neighborhoods. The trim, on these windows due to construction of base units on gonzalez, are ill fitted, and look terrible on closer inspection. They added cornices, corner bands, and shutters that appear "tacked-on" and are against the minimal, and modern intentions of the original colonial modernism of the site. Visually the bottom sills appear to break through the tacked on trim, demanding that they remain in the fore-front.