Bank of America San Mateo






Scott’s trip to Graz for the recent Springfestival inspired me to take a walk through my hometown of San Mateo to see what visual inspiration I could find. One thing that’s always fascinated me is the beautiful mural decorating the front of the local Bank of America.

Consisting of 5 panels, 25′ high and approximately 90′ across, the mural was designed by Louis Macouillard and set by Alphonso Pardinas in glass tile. The panels tell the story of A. P. Giannini, the founder of the Bank of Italy (what would later become the Bank of America) who moved the bank’s records and cash to San Mateo after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

These pictures don’t really do it justice, so for the two of you who happen to pass through San Mateo it’s worth checking out. Anyone else have any cool hometown design gems to share?

7 Comments

  1. Abe says:

    this is awesome jon. thank you for sharing this with us. if i ever happen to be in san mateo, i will make my way to this gem!

  2. Jon says:

    @Abe – Thanks! It really is beautiful in person.

  3. Matthias says:

    Ooh, nice. I’ve actually gone down to San Mateo the past couple Summers but never checked out much of the town – mostly just Taco Bell and the beach. Y’know, the classy stuff. I’ll explore this next time.

  4. HAY says:

    The tollhouse in downtown Reykjavík is similar.

    A mosaic made by Gerðu Helgadóttir.

    Check it out.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mreames/5679747180/in/photostream/

  5. HAY says:

    The tollhouse in downtown Reykjavík is similar.

    A mosaic made by Gerður Helgadóttir.

    Check it out.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mreames/5679747180/in/photostream/

  6. Ryen says:

    I see this regularly, for I work in San Mateo… I love this building, and always show it to friends that are not familiar with SM. Cool to see this on here! Nice photos. SM has a lot of other gems as well!

  7. David Carron says:

    This is nice. I just moved from Downtown San Mateo to Redwood. Loved these.

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