John King Portal - Wondering about how the concept of Portal translates to print? Here are links to excerpts from the book that have appeared in various print and online publications. Overall, I hope they give you a flavor of what I have tried to do.

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If you're pondering whether to invest in a copy of Portal (spoiler alert: I think you should! Unless you check it out from your local library), maybe this will help -- five excerpts that range from the 1890 to our uncertain future, as distilled in five publications.?

Wondering about how the concept of Portal translates to print? Here are links to excerpts from the book that have appeared in various print and online publications. Overall, I hope they give you a flavor of what I have tried to do.

April 15, 2024

* How the building came to be conceived, courtesy of Architectural Record

* The Chronicle let me select an excerpt when Portal appeared in bookstores last November, and I indulged myself with one of my favorite narrow escapes for our icon-by-the-bay -- a state-government-blessed plan to tear it down after World War II. Complete with photos from The Chronicle morgue that I wish were in the book. Read all about it here.

* Did you know that the Ferry Building was on display at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis? This unexpected journey caught the eye of the Delancey Place newsletter, and it's a snippet guaranteed to bring a smile.

* One of the odd sagas of semi-recent S.F. history is that voters in 1986 REJECTED a ballot initiative to remove the Embarcadero Freeway! Streetsblog dipped into my tome for the tale: Read the strange saga here.

*Portal's final section, "The Unknown," includes a chapter on the challenges posed to the Ferry Building and Embarcadero posed by sea level rise. Here's the excerpt presented by Heatmap. (registration required)