Michael Painter has degrees from Berkeley and Harvard in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, and worked in the offices of Lawrence Halprin, Peter Walker, and John Carl Warnecke, prior to establishing MPA Design 40 years ago.
Michael started working on the Presidio Parkway to replace Doyle Drive 22 years ago with lower elevation parkway which completely replaces the existing 3,000' long low viaduct, two tunnels, and a new high viaduct. The inspiration for the redesign came from viewing the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay from the roof of the Exploratorium; a view you could not see at ground level as it was blocked by the low viaduct structure, concrete ramps with 4' high concrete wall, and parking lots. The new Presidio Parkway will be enjoying the bay and bridge views at ground level with an expanded park and wetlands by 2014. The "see-through" tunnels will provide five acres of expanded park. The park above the Main Post tunnel will connect over 200 acres of open space and allow for a Presidio promenade and a multi-use trail which extends the full length of the parkway. These were the core ideas which people like National Park Services' Brian O'Neil, SPUR's Michael Alexander, San Francisco Beautiful's Jim Chappell, and Jose Luis Moscovich helped shape and turn into a fundable project.
Credits include Caltrans, the ARUP/PB Joint venture, Circle Point, The Presidio Trust, National Park Services, the Golden Gate Bridge, and all the neighborhood groups and citizens some of whom have served up to 18 years. One of the many people who provided pro bono service is structural engineer, Ephraim Hirsch whose efforts helped create a much improved high viaduct which is now under construction.
Michael's current presentation gives an overview of the current status of the project using visual materials provided by the project team.
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