Bay CrossingsNewsmaker

BORIS DRAMOV, ARCHITECTURAL VISIONARY AND CREATOR OF A NEW WATERFRONT AND GATEWAY TO SAN FRANCISCO

By F. Weston Starratt

Boris Dramov, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and President of San Francisco’s ROMA Design Group — a nationally recognized urban design and planning firm — has been involved in developing a new vision of San Francisco’s Waterfront for more than two decades.

Boris (we’ll call him "Boris," as he is widely known from City Hall to the Ferry Building) feels strongly about San Francisco and its waterfront. He likes to point out that, "The waterfront in San Francisco is one of the most meaningful parts of the city because that was where everything really began. San Francisco’s reason for being was to serve as a shipping port, and that remained its primary role for more than a century."

But, as the East Bay was becoming the terminus for transcontinental railroad service, a transfer of shipping operations from San Francisco to the East Bay began to take place. In more recent years, that transfer was enhanced by the development of containerized cargo handling. At the same time, the continuing growth of San Francisco’s downtown financial area made the waterfront less and less accessible for cargo movement. In addition, our bridges had virtually put an end to the Bay Area’s highly-developed ferry service. So, San Francisco’s downtown or northeastern waterfront was gradually transformed from a seaport and a ferry terminus to a service area, at one time dominated by the overhead Embarcadero Freeway that effectively obscured views of the bay and turned the Ferry Building into an urban backdrop. As the people of San Francisco became concerned with what was happening, they began thinking about how to enhance the San Francisco waterfront and find a more meaningful role for it, because shipping had ceased to be the primary function of the downtown or northeastern waterfront.

However, it should be stressed that we are discussing only San Francisco’s northeast or downtown waterfront, from China Basin to Aquatic Park, and not the southern industrial waterfront where shipping continues play an active role.

Boris continued, "I have been working on the San Francisco waterfront and its repositioning for about 20 years, beginning in 1980 with the Northeastern Waterfront Plan for the City and County of San Francisco, which laid the groundwork for much of which was to follow, including the new Embarcadero Plaza and the new San Francisco Ferry Terminal.

"One of the things that happened in the early stage of the Northeast Waterfront Study was the very important decision made by the city not to connect the existing Embarcadero Freeway to a proposed Interstate 280 leading to the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead the city decided that it would build an Embarcadero Boulevard with a mixed mode of cars, trolleys, bicycles, and pedestrians. Unfortunately, funding was not available at that time, and it took the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake to damage the freeway and make that transformation possible.

"The earthquake not only damaged the overhead Embarcadero Freeway and made its removal necessary, but it also facilitated a greatly enhanced ferry service because of the damaged Bay Bridge. It soon became evident that we could actually transfer some trips from cars to ferries, and the idea of transforming the Ferry Building into a transportation terminal took on new meaning, leading to the Embarcadero Plaza and the Ferry Terminal projects.

"While these projects focus on the functional aspects of ferry operation and passenger transfer to other modes of transportation, it was equally important to create an environment where people choose to ride the ferry. I would like to emphasize that, ‘Transit must be the system of choice, not the system of last resort.’

"The idea of creating ferry service as the ‘system of choice’ means creating an overall ambiance, facilitating pedestrian access, and developing an environment where riders feel comfortable going to and coming from the ferries, as well as being pleased with the quality of the ride and the experience out on the bay, which is fantastic. So, the entire experience must be taken into account in planning ferry service, including the design of the Embarcadero Plaza and the provision for intermodal transfer to other means of transportation. An ‘exciting experience’ must be created for the user of the ferry and the transit services. Planning must integrate pedestrian movement, transit operation, and provide open space, while dealing with the quality of the environment that is created so that people ‘really feel good.’ Getting into more detail, we must also provide weather protection, accessible routes, and waiting areas that are comfortable.

"The ROMA Design Group had multiple contracts, starting with the Northeast Waterfront Plan, which set the stage for the architectural design of both the Embarcadero Plaza and the Ferry Terminal. It is fortunate that we worked on all of them to provide integration, continuity, and coordination. These projects were part of a single vision on the part of the city and the architect.

"That single vision is

»   To replace the meaning that the San Francisco waterfront once had with a new meaning that fits today’s needs;

»   To create a great experience for those who arrive from the bay and depart the city for the bay. We need to consider what it feels like to arrive here in San Francisco, ‘Do we arrive like rats sneaking in or like kings?’;

»   To develop an intermodal transportation hub on the waterfront, which brings together ferry boats, street cars, buses, autos, bicycles, and pedestrians;

»   To change the scale of the Embarcadero Plaza so that it accommodates vehicles, as well as pedestrians on a daily basis. All of the landscape elements are designed to create such a scale, and, at the same time, a grand scale for civic gatherings."

The result of Boris’ vision is there for everyone to see: the palm-lined boulevard, plazas, parks, promenades, and the ferry terminal which is still under construction. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was so overwhelmed with the result that it presented one of its highest awards, the "2000 AIA Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design" to ROMA and the City of San Francisco for "Mid-Embarcadero Open Space/Ferry Terminal", noting that "These improvements promise to once again reunite the waterfront and the city."

Work remains to be done along the Embarcadero, including the completion of the Ferry Terminal, the renovation of the Ferry Building, the Music Concouse, and other structures. Boris Dramov’s vision will be felt in all of them!

Ms. Nieret Mizushima, Project Manger for the Port of San Francisco, and Boris Dramov, President of the ROMA Design Group, holding the 2000 AIA Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design for the Mid-Embarcadero Open Space/Ferry Terminal.