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A Touch of Glass: Walking Tour | September 23

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Some of the best examples of modern San Franciscan architecture involve a commonly overlooked design element: Glass.

It wasn't always that way. Make-do, plain-front buildings sprang up during the frenzied years of the Gold Rush, and gingerbread-covered Victorians appeared in the decades that followed. But in 1918, San Franciscans were awestruck when Willis Polk unveiled his elegant Hallidie Building. Its stark and modern glass-curtain front was an engineering marvel—and glass-shrouded buildings have taken over the skyline ever since, from the sleek skin of Financial District skyscrapers to the ornate ceilings of a downtown landmark.

Join us for an in-depth walking tour, and explore some of San Francisco's most iconic glass structures and learn how these iconic buildings changed the course of architecture.