I drove across town today to take some pictures of the San Francisco Funeral Service building, also known as the Daphne mortuary. Designed in 1954 by A. Quincy Jones, the Daphne was the first Modern funeral home. Brick, redwood and glass clearly define the volumes of its exquisite composition. The strong horizontal lines grow directly out of the sloping site. Walled courtyards and daylight were used to help the grieving reconnect to the beauty of our temporal world. Landscape and architecture intertwined.
In August 1999 the state Historical Resources Commission refused to recommend landmark status for the Daphne. One reason given was that it was four years shy of the 50 required for consideration. Unprotected under this standard, the Daphne will be torn down when the property is sold. It is a sad irony that there is presently a movement in San Francisco to grant landmark status to a fast-food fiberglass grinning dachshund head mounted on a steel pole. It complies with the state’s eligibility timetable. I thought about this as I placed the Daphne in my viewfinder.
Author Jim Jennings is the principal of a San Francisco architectural studio whose work has received numerous design awards and international publication. The monograph 10/10: 10 Projects, 10 Years was published in 1999.
Photo by Jim Jennings.
Originally published in early 2000, in arcCA 00.1, “Zoning Time.”
