Week 1: Tower of The Sun : Building

The Golden Gate International Expo grounds were on Treasure Island – a forty-acre island that was constructed and developed initially for the expo and that was slated to be the San Francisco International Airport after the expo. Built with 25 million cubic feet of dredged soil from the Bay, the island was located in between the world’s two largest bridges – the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. The most notable component and centerpiece of Treasure Island is the Tower of the Sun.

Designed by Arthur Brown Jr. in the Beaux Arts tradition, this slim octagonal needle stands at 392 feet tall. Brown had also designed the San Francisco City Hall and the Court of Horticulture at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition prior to architecting the Tower of the Sun and another building, the Court of Honor, for the Golden Gate International Expo.

Ornamented with a statue of a phoenix at the top, the Tower of Sun’s icon is said to be representative of the city’s triumph after the 1906 earthquake and fire and a symbol of the difficult economic and political climate of the time.

It has also been said that this quintessential building is reminiscent of The Tower of Jewels (right), which was an important figure at the Panama-Pacific International Expo of 1915. The similarity between these structures is interesting in considering the different historical contexts yet homologous city.

Thus, the Tower of the Sun, Treasure Island’s most visible element, encapsulates a variety of themes pertinent to the Golden Gate International Expo. Not only does this building provide the Island with a certain verticality and put it on the map given its particular proximity to the New York World’s Fair, but its symbolism and style reflects San Francisco’s history and ability to revitalize in the face of challenging circumstances – an optimistic idea for the world at this time.

Works Cited:

"Golden Gate International Exposition | The Cultural Landscape Foundation." The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 2009. Web. 23 Sep 2011.

"Hard Times, High Visions: Golden Gate International Exposition Exhibit Items ." University of California, Berkley , 2001. Web. 23 Sep 2011.