Maybeck Masterpieces

There is much to be said for adult education. Today I took a course on the works of Californian architectural pioneer Bernard Maybeck. Like Louis Sullivan who was overshadowed by his apprentice Frank Lloyd Wright, Maybeck is often overshadowed by Julia Morgan, best known for her designs for Hearst Castle. Maybeck's most iconic building may be San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, but some of his truly greatest achievements are in Berkeley, and I was lucky to tour five of them.

The course was taught by Mark Wilson who has already written a book about Morgan and has a new volume on Maybeck scheduled for 2011. He was a deft, knowledgeable instructor, and a great lecture was followed by a walking tour that made a circular route of five masterpieces around and on the UC Berkeley campus.

We started with the Men's Faculty Club on the UC Berkeley Campus.

Next up was the Hillside Club on Cedar, a place I've passed many times. From the street it looks like an unassuming bungalow, but inside is a theater with echoes of Tudor era London and the Globe Theatre.

Then it was a short hop over to the Flagg House, close to several other Maybeck homes, whose owners have preserved the integrity of the master's initial vision.

Up on Maybeck Twin Drive (named after his grand daughters who still live in the area), we got to glimpse at several important homes by Maybeck and his students, including a garage door with ornamentation painted by the master himself.

The grand finale was what many consider to be his greatest achievement, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, where at least five styles converge seamlessly.

Let's Send the Caribou Barbie to the 94709!

I love trees. I hate the ideology of evangelical Republicans. I enjoy eating vegan meals when they are cooked well. I also enjoy animal based protein now and then. I recycle and compost. I'm not above going to big box stores or pay more at locally owned co-ops.

However, when I see more than one of our local news outlets leading with the story about the Berkeley tree sitters as if it were the most important story in the world, I think the office Sarah Palin should hold is at least city council member if not mayor of Berkeley. After my last post calling for an end to the violence in the Mission, I own up to the thrill of the vision of Ms. Palin and her assault rifle taking care of business with the tree sitters and then heading over to the Marine recruiting station to run Code Pink out of town. No bullets fired, mind you, but just to give these folks a reminder that there is a world outside of their patchouli and B.O. scented bubble.

Okay, I got that out of my system. Now on the peaceful images of protecting polar bears.

East Bay Kabuki Theater

Just when I think no place could be more annoying than San Francisco, this weekend's showdown in front of the Marine recruiting office in Berkeley reminds me that it could be worse. Does anyone take Code Pink seriously anymore or are they a covert effort of the Religious Right to alienate all progressives? Most people I know in Berkeley are decidedly tired of them and see that the Marine recruiters are not the ones setting the agenda in Iraq but just doing a job.

While pro-troop followers consider the suspension of Code Pink's parking space outside the recruiting office a victory, ultimately both sides lost in a pathetic imitation of civic discourse. And the Nazi salute during the playing of the national anthem was not exactly a return to Berkeley's leftist heydays but just a pathetic example of bad kabuki theater. Just think how ugly such confrontations will be by late October.