Presentation: Victorian Restoration, Preservation and Decoration Movement

Learn about San Francisco's Victorian restoration, preservation and decoration movement with Bob Buckter, Ben Zotto, and Anson Moran. Buckter, Zotto, and Moran are the authors of two new books celebrating San Francisco’s architectural visuals and legacy: Bob Buckter: Architectural Color Design by Zotto and Moran, and Inside: Twelve Beautifully Restored “Victorians” and the Remarkable People Who Care For Them by Moran. This program will consist of an author talk and a presentation about history, people, the process of combining color and form and the stories of people who have dedicated their time and treasure to maintaining these works of art..

San Francisco's birth in the Victorian Era created an architectural heritage rich with everything from Victorian cottages to mansions.  By the 1960s much of this built environment was in poor repair and at risk of demolition by redevelopment. Then something amazing happened. San Franciscans fell in love with color. It changed how we thought about ourselves and changed how others saw us. Our "painted ladies" became as iconic as our hills, the Bay, Cable Cars and the Golden Gate Bridge. The fact that San Francisco is a city of Victorians is an accident of history. That it still is a city of Victorians is a choice made by people in the mid-20th century who saw something worthwhile at risk and fought to save it from the wrecker's ball. We will celebrate this happy choice with an afternoon of stories and pictures.

Bob "Dr. Color" Buckter is a durable pioneer and native son who has been coloring San Francisco for over 50 years. Ben Zotto is a research historian, engineer, type designer, freelance writer and author. Anson Moran is a photographer who has photographic monographs of twelve restored Victorians in the SFPL's History Center. 

Space limited; first come, first seved.