From the Ground Up: The Business of Building in the Age of Money by Frantz, Douglas (December 22, 1993) Paperback

by Douglas Frantz

"From the Ground Up describes Rincon in detail, from the day the brainstorm to bid on the land took shape in the mide of a Perini Co. executive until its champagne-soaked opening party. . . . The book emerges as a helpful primer on what it takes to build a tiny, self-contained city. Engineering problems are cleanly explained, architectural cant is kept to a minimum and a bookshelf of financial detail is boiled down to essentials."--Marshall Kilduff, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review "This engrossing study, flavored with the appeal of San Francisco and written by Los Angeles Times national correspondent Frantz, examines the combination of dreaming and entrepreneurship required to succeed in the cyclical realty business."--Publishers Weekly "Frantz. . . .is a business reporter of real skill and sophistication. . . .The genius of [his] book is in the details."--Johnathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

Genres: Architecture

Unknown Binding

First published November 22, 1993

Reviews

[Raul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primer on how the various players come together in the elaboration of a major commercial property in the United States, and the challenges they confront - investors, bankers, developers, architects, engineers, contractors, elected and unelected officials, lobbyists, artists, and users and eventual entities own in or renting the final product. When you think of it, it is an amazing process, full of surprises, whose success ultimately depends on luck and the actor's experience, leadership, and the ability to get along with eachother.

[Frank Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid journalistic review of what it takes to build a skyscraper downtown in the 1980s. The answer? Fungible tax breaks and compliant zoning regulations.

It also provides a very satisfying balance between the financial, political, and physical aspects of building, and lucky for the author the builders he features made plenty of great boneheaded moves to keep the story itself exciting.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

About building of Rincon Center in S.F. Very interesting - addresses issues of historic preservation, financing, and how a project like this really gets done.