Around the Bay Area, where the term “move fast and break things” originated, it’s easy to lose sight of the historical moments that have shaped our landscapes. Whether you’re looking at a Julia Morgan-designed columbarium or an abstract bell tower that memorializes a child’s last gifts, there are plenty of monuments around the region that not only remind us about the past — but challenge us to envision what that means for our present and future.
Here are the stories behind five iconic Bay Area monuments.
‘To Honor Surfing’ sculpture, Santa Cruz
Whether he’s wearing a jack-o’-lantern head or a pandemic mask, Santa Cruz’s surfer sculpture stands sentinel over West Cliff Drive, a young man stoically holding a surfboard as he stares out to the horizon.
The surfer was commissioned in 1989 by the Santa Cruz Historical Association following a competition to create a monument to surfers past, present and future, says sculptor Thomas Marsh, who won the competition with a former student, Brian Curtis.
The figure, they decided, would resemble the young men who helped to popularize the sport in the 1930s, down to the haircut and old-fashioned redwood surfboard. Marsh says he also worked to bring other emotions to the sculpture – for instance, he wanted to capture the feeling of being on the verge of adulthood, with all of the excitement and fear that brings. Some of the young men who were part of the 1930s surfing craze went on to fight in World War II, and not all returned, he says.
Soon after beginning meetings to launch the monument’s construction, the October 1989 earthquake hit, and the project hit delays. The sculpture was unveiled in 1992.
Even at the time, there were debates about representation over who ought to be depicted as the stereotypical surfer. While the 1930s Santa Cruz surfers may have been shown as primarily white men, the sport dates back to 12th-century Polynesia and was first demonstrated in Santa Cruz by three Hawaiian princes in 1885.
Today, efforts are under way to design and install a female surfer sculpture too, Marsh says.
Details: Open 24/7 at 547 W. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz; choosesantacruz.com.
The Children’s Bell Tower, Bodega Bay
A family’s unimaginable tragedy was the starting point for this moving installation, erected in a serene meadow just north of Bodega Bay.
Young Nicholas Green was just 7 years old in 1994 when he was shot and killed on a family vacation in Italy by highway robbers during an attempted carjacking. After his death, his parents opted to donate the child’s organs to people in need of transplants. Seven people were given a new lease on life thanks to Green’s donations, and his parents went on to become advocates for the cause of organ donation.
This 18-foot-tall structure rises from the ground, a skeleton of elevated rectangles holding a collection of 140 bells, most donated by Italians. At the center is the largest bell, from Italy’s Marinelli Foundry, a nearly 1,000-year-old family business that makes bells for the Vatican and papacy. The bells chime in the wind, then fade when the wind abates.
“Although it was inspired by Nicholas’ death, the tower was designed to be a memorial accessible to everyone, a place where children would feel at ease,” states the Nicholas Green Foundation’s website.
“Its delicacy reflects both the preciousness and fragility of young life. Many families visit it to give thanks for their children; others find some solace for a loss.”
Details: Open 24/7 at 2255 Highway One, Bodega Bay; nicholasgreen.org.
Tassajara School, Danville
This one-room schoolhouse is the last remaining 19th-century school in the San Ramon Valley, according to MuseumSRV.
Built in 1889, it operated until 1946, when a couple of large local families moved, leaving enrollment at just 11 youngsters. The remaining students and teacher transferred to Danville Elementary.
Today, the charming bell-topped structure still is used for its original purpose. Each year, third-graders from around the San Ramon Valley get decked out in pioneer garb and pay a visit to the schoolhouse. They re-enact what school was like a century ago — from tying knots and learning from the McGuffey Reader to recess spent with stilts and jacks.
Details: 1650 Finley Road, Danville, museumsrv.org.
Gonzalez-Peralta Adobe, San Jose
Walk through the food hall at the San Pedro Square Market to dine in the courtyard beneath the stars and you might just find yourself staring at one of San Jose’s oldest buildings.
Jose Manuel Gonzalez, a member of the Apache tribe, built this adobe structure in 1797 after being named alcalde, or magistrate, of the pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, California’s first municipal government, in 1785. He died there in 1804.
Californio ranchero Luis Maria Peralta later moved into the adobe with his family, and he became the commissioner of the pueblo in 1807. He was later awarded the Rancho San Antonio, a 44,000-acre land grant that included territory that’s now San Leandro, Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, Berkeley and Albany.
Today, the adobe is the last remaining structure from El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe. Overseen by History San Jose, It’s home to a program for fourth-graders, who get an experiential look at colonial life for the Spanish residents of Alta California.
Details: Tours are offered at noon and 2 p.m. on weekends at 175 W St. John St., San Jose, historysanjose.org.
Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland
Legendary California architect Julia Morgan led the 1928 expansion of this columbarium – a resting place for cremated remains – tucked at the end of Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue. Aaron Green, an architect and follower of Frank Lloyd Wright, also contributed to later additions.
Natural light, serene cloisters and Spanish gothic architectural flourishes characterize this memorial space, which is also home to an annual music festival, held annually during the summer solstice called the Garden of Memory.
Details: Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 4499 Piedmont Ave, Oakland. Guided tours are offered monthly. oakland.chapelofthechimes.com.