From Steel to Wheels: the Cor-o-van Building Past, Present, and Future: August 2012

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The unique aesthetic qualities of Potrero Hill have inspired and have been captured by some of the most renowned artists and photographers in the world. These artists and members of the community have confirmed that the unique look of Potrero Hill is part of the city’s cultural capital and contributes to the community’s quality of life and public good.

Mississippi Street Intersection, Robert Bechtle, 2007

Pacific Judson Murphy, Richard Serra, 1978

The exhibition is specifically about the industrial structures at Mississippi and 17th Streets and their history, and it is more broadly about that public good; it aims to forge connections between the neighborhood’s past and its contemporary community through education and inspiration. Through text, historical photographs, and contemporary art, this exhibition will shed light on significant but under examined aspects of the neighborhood's past while envisioning the possibilities of its future.

Deadline: Work due Feb. 18th 2013 • Requirements: No submissions larger than 54” X 54” •
3 digital images may be submitted. • Include an artist’s statement, limit 1000 characters. Optional: a brief resume outlining your exhibition history; provide price information or indicate how interested parties should contact you regarding price. Submissions and Inquiries should be sent to : hillianpotrero@gmail.com

Pacific Rolling Mill Co. / Judson Pacific - Murphy

The metal and brick structures currently occupied by the Cor-o-van company at one time housed the largest steel-producing factory on the West Coast, and they are associated with the construction of some of the most significant turn of the century and early 20th century construction. As such, the structures themselves serve as a poignant reminder of the point of origins for a broad array of steel-based building styles and building purposes.

A Romance of Steel in California (scanned book, part 1)

A Romance of Steel in California (scanned book, part 2)

For more about these buildings:

Page & Turnbull report on 1200 - 1210 17th Street structures

Cor-o-van site and future

The block where the Cor-o-van company and buildings are situated is also the site of a proposed development: a Kaiser clinic, formula retail, and separate housing units, though these proposals are as of yet un-approved. Regardless of what transpires with that proposal, the current structures may be destroyed in the years to come unless they are selected for architectural preservation or adaptive reuse. The Kaiser proposal is the latest in a series that seek to eliminate the neighborhood’s few remaining examples of industrial architecture despite a growing awareness and appreciation of the economic and cultural benefits of architectural adaptive reuse. This subject provides a rich area for research and a locus for inspired cultural expression, community engagement and broader civic debate.

Where are these structures? What are these structures?

The structures in question consist of a metal shed (facing 16th and 17th near Mississippi) and a silver metal shed (facing both 16th and 17th and running alongside Mississippi Street) and a red brick building (facing 17th Street at Texas). These structures almost take up an entire city block, and all three buildings are associated with the largest steel making factory on the West Coast (once named Pacific Rolling Mill Co. and later named Judson -Pacific Murphy).

The Cor-o-van site is bound by 16th, Mississippi and 17th Streets in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.

FOR MORE ON ARCHITECTURAL ADAPTIVE REUSE: