Articles
Historic Contents of Mt. Davidson Cross Time Capsule
A year ago, on April 1, 2023, the granite cornerstone engraved with Easter Sunrise 1923, was unearthed to reveal a crypt with a copper record box inside made by the Revere Company started by the father of our revolutionary hero. Typically these time capsule openings occur on the centennial of the installation, which was 1934. […]
Miraloma Moderne
The 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs in Paris showcased sleek new machines, automobiles, airplanes and ocean liners that were very different from their ornate Victorian predecessors. The streamlined angular, curvilinear, and zigzag forms of these designs inspired a new form of architecture that was free of historical or classical details. New building techniques such […]
Miraloma Park’s Sunny Architectural Style
Both San Francisco and San Diego were eager to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal and organized expositions to welcome the new business to their ports. The Panama Pacific Exposition held in San Diego in 1915 also helped introduce a new style of architecture to California – one that particularly suited its sunny […]
Picturesque Miraloma Park
When I walk around my Miraloma Park neighborhood, I find the artistic architectural details preserved by many of the residents to be especially appealing and the essence of what makes this neighborhood picturesque. The Meyer Brothers, who built the first homes, and others developing residential neighborhoods between World War I and II, found this Period Revival Style […]
Harold Stoner’s Work in Marin Country
Looking back into my archives, I found this 2010 article written for the San Anselmo Historical Society.
The History of San Francisco’s Mt. Davidson Park
When I first moved to San Francisco in 1980, I was excited to find a tiny home on the slopes of the City’s highest hill. Just steps from my door to the park at its peak is the opportunity to be totally surrounded by a tall forest – a world away from the hubbub of […]
George Davidson – Pioneer West Coast Scientist
When I say live on Mt. Davidson, many of my fellow San Franciscans respond by saying “where is that?” Despite it being the city’s highest hill, even more obscure to most, is who was George Davidson? Oscar Lewis wrote the first detailed biography of our neighborhood mountain’s namesake in 1954 and lauded the pioneer […]
Historic View of San Francisco’s Bus Route 36
Before the Miraloma Park Improvement Club had a completed clubhouse in 1940, residents were busy fostering the neighborhood activism that is still in place today. One of the first projects was to get a bus line to the new neighborhood. To celebrate their success, the Club distributed a flyer entitled “Hooray for the Buses” in […]
Adolph Sutro: The Father of Tree Planting in California
My appreciation of the unique forest Adolph Sutro created near my San Francisco home on Mt. Davidson (below) over a century ago, has peaked my curiosity into why he planted it. It lead to my seeking his personal papers and researching other sources. Except for his papers, almost every other source referenced the Adolph Sutro: […]
Welcome
Welcome to the Harold G. Stoner blog for news about one of the Bay Area’s most artistic architects. Since my book, Bay Area Beauty: The Artistry of Harold G. Stoner, was completed earlier this year, I continue to discover more about this amazing man. This blog has been created to share what I have found. […]