Sunol Water Temple
Sunol Water Temple | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | High Classical |
Year(s) built | 1910 |
Technical details | |
Material | Concrete |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Willis Polk |
The Sunol Water Temple is located at 505 Paloma Way in Sunol, California. Designed by Willis Polk, the 59 foot high classical pavilion is made up of twelve concrete Corinthian columns and a concrete ring girder that supports the conical wood and tile roof. Inside the temple, water originally from the Pleasanton well fields and Arroyo de la Laguna flowed into a white tiled cistern before plunging into a deeper water channel carrying water from the filter galleries to the Niles Aqueduct in Niles Canyon and across San Francisco Bay near the Dumbarton Bridge. The ceiling of the temple has panels with paintings by Yun Gee and other artists[1][additional citation(s) needed] depicting a Native American maiden carrying water vessels, and women in classical poses. The temple is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
History
![Map showing the San Francisco Bay area. Areas to the south, east and west of the Bay are in red to denote owned locations and red lines show pipelines between areas.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Springvalley-lg2.gif/300px-Springvalley-lg2.gif)
Since the mid-19th century a private company, the
Polk's design, modeled after the ancient
For decades the Water Temple received many visitors and was a popular location for
Fields adjacent to the temple belong to the city of San Francisco which has authorized the digging of a gravel quarry on the site.[10][11] Local residents concerned about the temple's future brought a lawsuit to attempt to block the quarry project,[12] but eventually ran out of funds and dropped the suit.[13]
In June 2006, a new facility named the Sunol Agricultural Park was opened on a site adjacent to the temple.[14] The park provides space for small businesses and nonprofit groups to grow produce and was originally a project of a non-profit called Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE).[15] The park serves a platform for service and educational programs related to sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation.[16]
Inscription
"I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry lands springs of water. [Isaiah 41:18] The streams whereof shall make glad the city. [Psalms 46:4] S.V.W.C. MCMX [Spring Valley Water Company 1910]"
See also
- Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct
References
- ^ "A Look Back in History: Construction of the Sunol Water Temple". San Francisco Public Utilities Commission blog. November 27, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Water Temple Restoration Tour". Save Our Sunol. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Rafkin, Louise (February 25, 2012). "Local Intelligence: Sunol Water Temple". Bay Citizen. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via New York Times.
- ^ Smith, Matt (September 22, 2004). "Big Dam Mess". SF Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ OCLC 60658054.
- OCLC 958457785.
- ^ Brown, Teresa (November 29, 2002). "Welcome to Sunol". Pleasanton Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Conrad, Katherine (March 9, 2001). "Sunol battles over temple, quarry" (PDF). East Bay Business Times. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "Water temple rehab overcomes years of neglect". American City & County. Vol. 116, no. 7. May 2001. p. 22. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Pena, Michael (September 9, 2000). "Landmark Day in Sunol: Water Temple restoration to be celebrated as quarry debate simmers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Griswold, Belinda. "Sunol Sellout: PUC allows mining of pristine valley amid conflict charges", SF Bay Guardian, May 22, 1996.
- ^ Burgarino, Paul (December 18, 2005). "Protesters fight Sunol quarry". Tri-Valley Herald. Pleasanton, California. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Chip (May 5, 2006). "Sunol digs in against compost site". San Francisco Chronicle. p. B1. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Fraley, Malaika (September 11, 2006). "Park lets all come in for a taste". Contra Costa Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007.
- ^ Fraley, Malaika (September 25, 2006). "AgPark a growing success". Contra Costa Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007.
- ^ "Sunol AgPark". Sustainable Agriculture Education. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
37°35.127′N 121°53.126′W / 37.585450°N 121.885433°W
External links
- Sunol Water Temple by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
- Save Our Sunol, a community group that organized support for the temple's restoration
- Sunol AgPark by the Alameda County Resource Conservation District
- Sunol AgPark by Sustainable Agricultural Education
- Mix, Robert. "Chronological listing of selected extant Polk-designed structures in the Bay Area". Vernacular Language North. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014.