One Person's Skyline

Charles

While rummaging in the historical collection the other day, I came across a clipping from the San Francisco Examiner  (Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1960, to be exact). The paper had a "Women Today" section, and the story was about a local photographer.

Johnnie Dell Pope lived in Berkeley, California, and commuted daily to San Francisco, where she worked as a window dresser. Arguably, someone with that position has an artistic eye – Ms. Pope proved hers as an amateur photographer.

She took an old Kodak  with her to construction sites to document changes in San Francisco's skyline. She was particularly interested in the construction of the innovative bank building emerging on a plaza at Market and Sansome  Streets.

Turns out Ms. Pope was interested in architecture, but was unable to develop her interest with formal education. Her alternative was to keep a daily photographic record of new buildings that interested her, as well as the rapid changes to San Francisco's downtown in that era.

After a while, construction workers helped her get unique shots at the site, and executives from the "bank in the round" at Crown Zellerbach provided a higher quality camera for her photo log.

The round building that centered the Plaza was opened in October 1959 by the American Trust Company. That bank and Wells Fargo merged five months later, and the award-winning building continued as a Wells Fargo branch till the '80s.

This is a good story to share during Black History Month, because it's an excellent example of the contributions of ordinary people over time.

Ms. Pope never received formal training in her field of interest — whatever the reasons, she was able to pursue that interest by force of will. She lived her life within her circumstances, but pushed the boundaries to make herself happy. She is a wonderful person, an example for us all.