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San Francisco Chronicle
25-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Golden Gate Park's WWI monument finally gets recognition, a century after armistice
Heroes Grove, the World War I monument hidden in a redwood grove in Golden Gate Park, has always been impossible to find. But everybody can find the Rose Garden next to it, and now Ken Maley, a non-veteran San Francisco parks devotee, has found a way to link the two attractions. Maley, who is 80 and lives across town on Telegraph Hill, arranged to have a one-ton granite boulder trucked in to the entrance to the Rose Garden at John F. Kennedy Drive. It is engraved like a tombstone with the words 'Heroes Grove' and inlaid with a QR code that he says is a first for any monument or memorial in the park. The QR code works through a smartphone to access the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department website, which then gives a detailed history and description of the World War I memorial along with a park map and walking directions to the monument. The stone marker, which was trucked in from a quarry just last week, was installed in time for Memorial Day, and on Sunday morning Maley was sitting discreetly on a green park bench near it, waiting to see if it would attract enough attention to send people up the trail behind it and onto a 10-minute nature walk through redwoods to Heroes Grove. 'I've watched people look at the QR code and walk up the trail,' said Maley, who is project director of the Veterans Commemorative Committee and has put 10 years and a $50,000 budget into installing the first signage to Heroes Grove since it was dedicated on Memorial Day 1919. 'I just felt that 100 years after the war people should understand that we have this living memorial to it.' Heroes Grove, which began as public sentiment for planting a grove of coast redwoods to those who served, predates the city's main monument to the Great War — the War Memorial War Memorial Veterans Building and Opera House. Its grand opening in 1932 was to feature a granite monument in the courtyard between the two buildings, contributed by the Gold Star Mothers. The 9-foot pillar was engraved with the names of 820 men and women from San Francisco. But the big oblong rock was judged to be incompatible to the Beaux Arts elegance of the Opera House and Veterans Building, so it was banished to the park, where it went completely unmarked for 100 years. Among those who did not know Heroes Grove existed was Maj. Gen. Mike Myatt, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees for the War Memorial, who served on Maley's board. Myatt was president and CEO of Marines Memorial when Maley drove him out on a field trip. 'It really moved me when you started looking at the names,' Myatt said, 'But I could see how nobody could find it and if they found it they wouldn't know what it was.' On Memorial Day 2019, Maley and his committee got a boulder that is 5 feet wide and 3 feet tall installed along JFK Drive in a ceremony that included a color guard and veterans in World War I uniforms. The rock is easy to spot from JFK Drive, but there has never been an arrow or obvious path from there to the grove itself, and most people who see it are on bikes or running down the path toward Ocean Beach and not inclined to stop and investigate. 'It is amazing and so peaceful here, but I never see anyone looking at the monument,' said Julie Purnell, who lives in the Richmond District and runs her dog along the pathway. 'It is right off Fulton Street, and nobody knows it is here.' In hopes of applying a lure, Maley last week had that stone marker on JFK also embedded with a QR code that was drilled into the rock and is the size of a compact disc. 'It's the new wave of 'interpretive' in our park system,' Maley said. 'This is the pilot project.' It worked with Sunset District resident James Larkin and his wife, Felicia Lee. 'When we saw the stone marked 'Heroes Grove,'' Larkin said, 'I thought, 'What heroes are we talking about? Is it 9/11? World War II?' They were intrigued enough to investigate and follow the path in from JFK Drive, through the memorial and down to the Rose Garden where the path delivered them next to the bench that Maley was sitting on. 'It's spectacular,' Lee said. 'We loved walking through there and getting a hit of nature and a hit of history.' While conducting his surveillance, Maley overheard one couple look at the rock in passing and exclaim 'Oh, it's called Heroes Grove.' That made it all worthwhile. 'For 100 years, people didn't call it anything,' Maley said. Bruce and Kerry Grigson, visitors from Australia, knew all about Gallipoli but not about American involvement in the Great War or that they happened to be visiting on Memorial Day weekend. They felt compelled to follow the path from the Rose Garden to Heroes Grove. 'It's a bit of a privilege to be here on memorial weekend,' Grigson said, while standing at the memorial reading the engraving. 'It's amazing. I didn't know any of this.' Maj. Gen. Myatt, who is 84 and retired in Sonoma, plans to come down with his iPhone and activate the code next week when has a medical appointment at the VA hospital. 'Then I can show it to my wife and anybody who comes along,' he said. 'It's a piece of history that says something about the people of San Francisco.'
Style Blueprint
21-05-2025
- Style Blueprint
Chattanooga Choo Choo's Hotel Chalet is My Favorite Solocation Spot
Share with your friends! Pinterest LinkedIn Email Flipboard Reddit During a recent solocation to Chattanooga, TN, I finally checked a long-standing item off my travel bucket list: a stay at The Hotel Chalet. Nestled in the heart of Downtown Chattanooga, this boutique gem at Chattanooga Choo Choo offers a lodging experience that's anything but ordinary. Pin Pin Part of the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo campus, The Hotel Chalet blends rich railroad history with chic design. Perhaps the most buzzed-about feature? The refurbished train carriage rooms, which offer guests the chance to sleep in a luxe railcar. While I didn't book a train room this time, my Chalet King room didn't disappoint. Styled with jewel-toned mid-century modern decor, the space felt instantly calming, perfect for a solo retreat. Pin Pin On site is Elsie's Daughter, a moody, elegant restaurant where I was lucky to snag a seat at the bar on a busy Saturday night (SB Tip: Be sure to make your reservations in advance!). The restaurant's name is a charming nod to history: Donn Barber (the architect behind Terminal Station) and his wife Elsie had a daughter named Elsie, who later named her daughter Elsie. Hence, Elsie's Daughter. Pin The restaurant leans into Barber's Beaux Arts aesthetic while serving up French-Belgian fare with an Appalachian twist. It felt more like dining in a well-appointed living room than a bustling eatery — warm lighting, layered textures, and rich flavors made for an unforgettable meal. Pin I happened to visit during an unseasonably warm March weekend and loved seeing guests take advantage of the Alpine pool. Surrounded by lush greenery and tucked away from the hum of downtown, it's a chic little oasis that adds a touch of European resort energy to the Southern setting. Pin Whether you're in town for adventure, relaxation, or a bit of both, The Hotel Chalet manages to make even a quick getaway feel intentional and elevated. This charming spot is well worth the hype — and a return visit. For another boutique stay, check out The Horse Shoe Farm in Hendersonville, NC! Cheers to your next solocation! ********** Subscribe to StyleBlueprint for more travel inspiration! About the Author Kate Feinberg Kate Feinberg is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor & Sponsored Content Specialist, based in Nashville. Kate is a plant-based foodie, avid runner, and fantasy reader.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These one-of-a-kind OKC townhomes got an incredible new look for Symphony Show House
During the 1890s, known as the Gilded Age, Oklahoma City was just a frontier town, but a set of European, Beaux-Arts-inspired townhomes paying homage to the era are set to open for a public tour. Inspired by the work of late American architect Ogden Codman Jr. in the early 1900s, Richard R. Brown Associates President and Architect Rick Brown designed the townhomes in 2023 at 6100 NW Grand Blvd. "They were trying to recreate what his vision was," said Joan Bryant, nonprofit spokesperson for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and OKC Orchestra League, which will host the 52nd Symphony Show House May 10-25 on the property. The townhomes are unique to Oklahoma City. Set near the Nichols Hills area, the development followed the blueprints of Codman's former home, which he designed for his wife, Leila Howard Griswold Webb, at 15 E. 51st St. in New York City a few years prior to their marriage in 1904, according to the Historic New England, a historic preservation organization. Interior designers decorating the home said the home's natural lighting, carved trimmings, curved archways and focus on symmetry were a nod to Codman's elaborate style. J. Mark Taylor, owner and licensed interior designer of Traditional Interior Design & Furnishings and Show House chair, decorated the drawing room, the entrance corridor, a bathroom and a secondary bedroom on the top floor. Taylor said the home distinguishes itself from other homes with its attention to detail, 12-foot ceilings and flow from room to room and exterior to interior. 'It invokes a feeling of grandeur,' he said. 'Everything I'm trying to do is to play on that and lift that higher.' Listings for one of the townhomes at 6119 NW Grand Blvd., priced at $3.7 million, describe a revitalization of the Gilded Age, exhibiting a 'cosmopolitan way of life' in a prime location, complete with extravagant finishes, like three signed Baccarat chandeliers and a La Cornue range. A 6,690-square-foot townhouse, the main Show House for the annual fundraising event benefiting the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, features a layout true to the era that inspired the property. The second floor features a side for men and a side for women, and the top floor includes a "Jack and Jill" styled floor layout with additional bedrooms for children or guests, its own kitchenette and a bonus space area. Look at 2024 Symphony Show House: The 2024 Symphony Show House was a 1936 white-columned, Georgian mansion Among designers included in this year's Show House are Amini's Galleria, Cory Lloyd & Co., Henry Home Interiors, Holly Flinton Design, Jenny Jarrard Interiors, William & Lauren, Kirby Home Designs, Loree Johns Interiors, Mathis Design Studio, Off the Wall Interiors by Ronette and Tin Lizzie's. All items selected inside the home will come with a price tag, said Bryant, who added the event not only gives local designers a chance to display their work but also to sell items used for interior designs. Prices of these items can range from very little to a lot, she added. Cassie Pastor with Oklahoma City Philharmonic said the Show House highlights the architectural features of the property every year, such as the hand-welded staircase in the Grand Boulevard townhomes. "We really are just highlighting this particular home's story," she said. "We want to focus on the history of the home, why it's special, what are the designers going to bring in to give it new life? What is that going to be like? That's how we approach it." Codman believed every house decoration should be seen as "a vital part of architectural expression, as part of the architectural order of the house itself," he argued in the book he co-wrote with Edith Wharton, "The Decoration of Houses," published in 1897, according to Historic New England. The architect designed the interiors of the Kykuit, also known as the John D. Rockefeller Estate, in 1909, according to the Rockefeller Brother Fund. His style included adding English furnishings, Chinese and European ceramics, and portraits of family and of American presidents, the philanthropic organization states. True to Codman's work, Taylor filled the first-floor room with fine China, porcelain, reimagined antique furniture and gilded pieces. He placed furniture carefully, keeping with the home's symmetry. Among the most important elements he kept in mind during the process was distributing the green, gold and pastel color palette evenly throughout the room. On the third floor, where Taylor designed Guest Room B, one of three rooms on the highest level of the townhomes, he honed his design from below, adding more feminine, bright colors, such as a pink accent wall. "Here, I just wanted happy color," he said. Les Beaux-Arts, French for the beautiful arts, stands out from other European-style homes, according to experts. It's high-style, classical, clean cut, sophistication and formality set it apart from other architecture, which usually portrays countryside or Tuscan-styled designs, according to Keven Carl, owner of Mister Robert and her designer, Cassidy Brunsteter, both of whom have degrees in interior design and are licensed practicing interior designers. It was during their college education where they learned of Codman's work. "We learn a lot of those things that you would have missed, otherwise," Carl said. "We learned a lot of his elements, then." Tasked with decorating the hallway leading to the master suite, the primary bedroom, bathroom and sitting room, the Mister Robert designers wanted to capture the home's French feel. They hung artwork capturing foreign countries, like a portrait of a French flower market and a painting of a European street. Inside the sitting room, commonly used as an intimate space for women in the early 1900s, Carl and Brunsteter depicted a modern Parisian interior with touches of century-old pieces. On a living room table, a "Paris Chic" design book laid atop of a small pile. Sheer curtains with canvas leaves draped over the home's large windows left natural lighting in the room, true to Codman's work. In the corner of the room, an antique secretary desk revealed a small writing table. Brunsteter chose the antique furniture piece to celebrate the period when the original home was built. "To me, that just came to mind, immediately, because when you think of movies or shows set in that era, I feel like you imagine women perched on a little seat, you know, in extravagant dresses and everything," she said. "It certainly was a time women wrote letters." Mister Robert, a family-owned interior design company based in Norman, has been working with the nonprofit for around 30 years. "I grew up in the business," Carl said, adding that she seldomly designed homes with the kind of architecture in the NW Grand Boulevard townhome. Brunsteter added that the owners of the home praised them for keeping true to the original blueprint, despite the lack of privacy given to the primary bedroom, which has no doors. Future owners, she said, might want to switch the functions of the sitting room and the primary bedroom. "It's sort of left to interpretation," she said. At the other end of the property, at 6099 NW Grand Boulevard, developers modernized the layout of the rooms inside one of the properties also included in this year's Symphony Show House event. Inside, Kari López, of LOREC Ranch, filled the rooms with the Edmond-based company's Western-styled interiors. She highlighted the gilding and views of the home. Touches of gold and white hues pop out in her selected decor and furniture to signal Codman's influence. "We call this 'The Sanctuary of Opulence and Comfort,' because we feel the third floor ― it's such a luxurious residence and it just reflects an area for relaxation and reading," she said. Like Codman, López — a physician by trade — lived in Europe, falling in love with its architecture, cuisine and museums. Originally from Wisconsin, she learned about Oklahoma's history while teaching as a professor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. "I learned a lot about Oklahoma, you know, the tip of a hat, the look in the eye, the shake of a hand — that cowboy spirit," she said. As she does with so many of her clients' homes, she added pieces to the townhomes to bring that history to life inside the Beaux-Arts-inspired homes. For around the last seven years, López has participated in the Symphony Show House events, not only to showcase the work of LOREC Ranch, the company that designed Reba McEntire's restaurant in Atoka, but also to help student organizations, like the OKC Orchestra League. "My true love and passion is the ability to fund educational programs for the students of music and giving the opportunity to understand the symphony and go to programs in the summer," she said. When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 10-25 Where: 6119 NW Grand Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Tickets: This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 52nd Symphony Show House will be held at these unique OKC townhomes
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon's Relentless Expansion In NYC's Bryant Park Keeps Office Real Estate In Midtown Manhattan Smokin' Hot In A Dramatic Turnaround
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has doubled down on its relentless Midtown Manhattan expansion by leasing 330,000 square feet at 10 Bryant Park, also known as 452 Fifth Ave. at West 40th St., The Real Deal reported, further confirming the area's resurgent office market. Formerly the HSBC Tower, the lease keeps the property in the hands of owners, Israeli-based Property & Building Corp. The tech giant will lease nine floors in a 15-year deal. It also has the option to lease another 145,000 square feet at the adjoining 10-story landmarked Beaux Arts property known as the Knox Building. Don't Miss: Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – , which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with just a $100 minimum. The move comes after Amazon acknowledged to CoStar News in December that it didn't have enough space to accommodate all its employees who were mandated to return to the office. Thus, the move had to be postponed by four months. Since Amazon then-CEO Jeff Bezos to pulled out of expansion plans in Long Island City in 2016, the company has instead embarked on an intense growth strategy in Manhattan. In 2020, it purchased the former Lord & Taylor flagship store on Fifth Avenue for $1 billion, where it employs 2,000 workers. The company has also purchased space at 330 W. 34th St., 237 Park Ave., and 5 Manhattan West. However, the New York Post's sources speculate that these are short-term leases and that employees will vacate the offices once 10 Bryant Park is ready. Amazon will initially pay $29.5 million in rent for 10 Bryant Park, which is set to increase to $32.2 million in five years, The Real Deal reports. The lease of another prime piece of Midtown Manhattan real estate has put the area at almost maximum occupancy, according to the Post, a situation that seemed unthinkable in the wake of the pandemic shutdown four years ago. Trending: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Amazon also occupies space in the city at Brookfield Properties' 5 Manhattan West, located at 450 W. 33rd St., where it has more than 285,000 square feet, according to CoStar data. The company has also been on a nationwide office expansion. In January, it signed Wynwood's largest office lease ever in Miami, occupying 50,000 square feet in Wynwood Plaza. The development broke ground in early 2023. It will feature a 12-story office tower, as well as 509 residential units, retail and restaurant spaces. "We're thrilled Amazon has selected Wynwood Plaza as its home in Miami," Bryan Lapidus, vice president at L&L Holding, one of the project's developers, told CREDaily in January. "It will continue to attract leading companies seeking a world-class, highly amenitized workspace in one of the most exciting regions in the country."Reconfiguring Seattle Area Office Space Amazon has also reconfigured its office footprint in its Seattle headquarters. At the end of the year, it increased its employee headcount in the Bellevue area of Puget Sound. $108 Billion Amazon Web Services Revenue Amazon Web Services' revenue for 2024 soared to $108 billion, 19% year-on-year growth for the cloud business. In his latest letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy addressed the company's return to office mandate: "In my experience, it doesn't compare to being in the same room," he wrote. "The energy, the pace, the spontaneous brainstorming, the willingness for people to jump in, the way ideas evolve in real time and the post-meeting iteration is much better when in the same room — and yields better outcomes for our customers and teams." Read Next: Donald Trump Just Announced a $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Deal — Here's How You Can This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to . Image: Shutterstock Send To MSN: 0 This article Amazon's Relentless Expansion In NYC's Bryant Park Keeps Office Real Estate In Midtown Manhattan Smokin' Hot In A Dramatic Turnaround originally appeared on Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Administration to Take Over New York's Penn Station Renovation Project
The Trump administration has announced it will take control of the renovation of New York City's Penn Station. The announcement was made on late Thursday by transportation secretary Sean Duffy, who said that the department was withdrawing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) from leading the reconstruction effort of Penn Station and replacing the agency with Amtrak as the project lead. The project has seen years of planning, setbacks, and disputes over design, financing, and management. Under the premise that it would execute the nation's largest transit hub with greater efficiency, Duffy outlined the new direction, emphasizing that the federal takeover could save taxpayers $120 million on the rebuild, once estimated at about $7.5 billion. 'President Trump has made it clear: The days of reckless spending and blank checks are over,' Duffy said in a statement. 'New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America's greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA's history of inefficiency, waste and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed. By putting taxpayers first, we're ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub all Americans can take pride in.' The administration's decision comes at a moment of heightened tension between federal and state authorities. Recent disagreements over transportation funding, crime statistics in the subway system, and the implementation of a congestion pricing plan have fueled criticism of the MTA's leadership. Duffy added that the administration will champion a comprehensive rebuild aligned with federal standards. Penn Station has long been a symbol of both grandeur lost and potential reclaimed. The original structure, completed in 1910 by McKim, Mead & White, was a Beaux Arts masterpiece—its vast concourses, vaulted ceilings, and classical columns hailed as a triumph of civic architecture. But in 1963, the station was controversially demolished to make way for Madison Square Garden, triggering a national outcry and galvanizing the modern preservation movement. What replaced it—a maze of underground tunnels and low ceilings—has been widely criticized for its cramped, confusing layout and lack of natural light. Over the decades, countless renovation proposals have stalled amid political disagreements and logistical complexity. One of the proposed ideas under review includes restoring Penn Station's grandeur with a neoclassical design—an approach that echoes the Trump-era executive order promoting traditional architecture in federal buildings. Amid such action, officials have suggested that classical aesthetics could return to center stage, potentially replacing Madison Square Garden with a new public plaza. Details about construction timelines, funding mechanisms, and architectural plans are expected in the coming months. You Might Also Like From the Archive: Tour Sarah Jessica Parker's Relaxed Hamptons Retreat 75 Small (But Mighty) Kitchens to Steal Inspiration from Right This Instant
