Empty buildings in B'game make me nervous. I envision the Claw showing up some day and the whole structure being gone in a couple of days. Many of the replacements are sterile. It happens all over town in both commercial and residential areas. That's why I got nervous after seeing our only local Brutalist building appearing to be empty. It sits at 1825 Magnolia behind The Trousdale and Burlingame Plaza. Borrowing from Wikipedia, we learn:
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterized by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. The style commonly makes use of exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette; other materials, such as steel, timber, and glass, are also featured.
Descending from the modernist movement, brutalism is said to be a reaction against the nostalgia of architecture in the 1940s. Derived from the Swedish phrase nybrutalism, the term "new brutalism" was first used by British architects Alison and Peter Smithson for their pioneering approach to design. In the United Kingdom, brutalism was featured in the design of utilitarian, low-cost social housing influenced by socialist principles and soon spread to other regions around the world, while being echoed by similar styles like in Eastern Europe.
Brutalism has been polarizing historically; specific buildings, as well as the movement as a whole, have drawn a range of criticism (often being described as "cold"). There are often public-led campaigns to demolish brutalist buildings. Some people are favorable to the style and in the United Kingdom some buildings have been preserved.
I asked around a bit and some think it was built as the Teachers Association headquarters (now a few blocks away) and was later a bank. The good news is that rather than being empty, an on-line search shows it is owned by the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, also known as "The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which is based in Ukiah. The parking lot must be chained when not in use. I think the building is oddly cool and worth taking a moment or two to appreciate. Here is it
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