Meeting News - September 22, 2008 - (Page 30) Destination Insider: San Francisco New Museum Is Welcomed, But Where Should It Go? Meeting planners are eagerly awaiting a new modern art museum, but city officials aren’t so sure they can deliver one. The problem isn’t the museum, which would house a vast personal art collection from Don and Doris Fisher, billionaire founders of the Gap clothing empire. The problem is where to put it. The Fishers offered to build a 100,000-sf museum. Preliminary designs for the boxy, white, two-story building include a glass-front foyer and event space. Also included in the project is a 95,000-sf hotel with catering facilities and its own function space. The benefactors want it in the middle of the Presidio, the former military base overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. The spot is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the largest urban national park in the country. Supporters say the museum would bring the one-time base back to life. “Having a spectacular museum in a spectacular park would be a real plus for the city and for planners,” said Dan Goldis, executive vice president for strategy and development at the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It doesn’t make a difference to the bureau where the museum is located. The real question is whether it makes a difference to the Fishers.” More precisely, the Fishers’ preferred location is at the crest of a seven-acre grassy parade ground surrounded by 19th-century brick structures. The Presidio Trust, the public body that oversees the park, supports the Fishers’ chosen location. But few others agree. Opponents say the project would cost the Presidio its treasured National Historic Landmark District status. A major museum would also overwhelm the spot’s limited parking and public transit facilities. The couple isn’t discussing the dispute in public. But parties close to negotiations say the Fishers likely will retract the donation if the site is changed. The National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation want a less visually disruptive location. The Presidio has at least two alternative sites that would preserve the historic landmark look and offer more parking and better public transit links. Other critics say the modernistic museum should be in downtown, where contemporary architecture would be a better fit. A downtown location also would be more easily accessible to museum-goers and event attendees. “The Presidio is one of the few places in a major city where you can be in a pastoral setting with stunning views,” said corporate event planner Ashli Lewis, president of Abuzz Productions. “A modern design can work well, at least for attendees.” —Fred Gebhart InterCon Looks West Expanding its footprint on the West Coast, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts (ICH&R) opened its second property in this city earlier this year. The 550-room InterContinental joins sister property InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco and—by year end—will be one of five InterContinentals on that side of the country. “The opening of InterContinental San Francisco is a tremendous milestone, as we grow our presence in the western region, and throughout the U.S.,” said Janis Cannon, vice president of brand management at ICH&R, the Americas. “We look forward to the continued expansion of the InterContinental brand over the next several months. Each new property will deliver our brand hallmarks of providing guests with the highest level of comfort and excellence, while offering authentic and unique experiences of the local destination.” Adjacent to the Moscone West Convention Cen30 MeetingNews September 22, 2008 ter and near Union Square—the city’s epicenter— the translucent-glass, 32-story hotel offers 43,000 sf of meeting space that allows for flexible configurations of up to 23 separate rooms. InterContinental San Francisco features restaurant Luce, a Tuscany-meets-California, wineinspired eatery, created in collaboration with Michael Mondavi, son of local viticulture pioneer Robert Mondavi. It also has an 8,000-sf, full-service spa and health club, complete with terraces for public use. The property also features an indoor lap swimming pool, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows in each guest room. After the San Francisco launch, ICH&R debuted Intercontinental the Clement Monterey, in Monterey Bay, CA. The InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, in Scottsdale, will open this fall. The brand expansion comes on the heels of InterContinental Los Angeles Century City, which debuted in 2007. —Rayna Katz www.meetingnews.com http://www.ssfconf.com http://www.ssfconf.com http://www.meetingnews.com
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