Hi-Res Pictures of 450 Sutter St.

[Chord]

Hi everyone,

 

I just got back from San Francisco & wanted to share some photos of 450 Sutter St. AKA The Grim Fandango building. The files are pretty large, but the detail is worth it. This building is breathtakingly beautiful!

 

What I tried to do was create a virtual walk-through of the building for those that may not get to see it in person.

 

First, a wide shot of the building:

 

 

Entrance:

 

 

Above the entrance:

 

 

Entrance from the inside:

 

 

 

 

Light fixture in the lobby:

 

 

 

Some close-ups (still in the lobby):

 

 

 

Elevator to (Glottis') Garage(this is just opposite the entrance):

 

 

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see where Manny's office would be. I asked the gentleman working the lobby if I could go up to the top floor, and he graciously obliged. I hope that you guys enjoy the next few photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

 

The elevator lobby on the top floor. This particular view is from where Eva's desk would be:

 

 

The hallway leading back to Manny's office (also from Eva's desk):

 

 

Manny's Office!

 

[Giant Graffiti]

Wow! I never knew that they based it off of a real building! Thanks so much for posting.

[Chord]

Wow! I never knew that they based it off of a real building! Thanks so much for posting.

 

Much of the look and feel of the buildings in El Marrow/Rubacava were apparently inspired by this building. Here is a small article by Tim Schafer (the creator of the game.)

 

The photos that I took of "Manny's Office" are assuming the upstairs of the building played some part in the creation of the game. It could just be my wishful thinking

[MeddlingMonk]

I knew that the Bureau of Acquisitions building was based on 450 Sutter Street, but I didn't realize there were Mayan glyphs on the facade. That's not really apparent from Google Street View. The building was designed and put up before Mayan glyphs were (more or less) fully deciphered. No doubt the glyphs on 450 Sutter Street would read as random gibberish, but it would be amusing if they actually did say something intelligible, and that it might be obscene.

 

Not too crazy about the swastikas in image 9, but that's not the fault of the architect. The building went up in a different era, before the Nazis came to power.

[Sallim]

Thank you for sharing and taking this great images =)

[Chord]

Thank you for sharing and taking this great images =)

 

 

It was my pleasure! I'm just glad to have a few other fans to share them with.

[Gownaar]

It's beautiful. I had no idea this place existed. Until now, my real-world association with the DOD building interior was the Chrysler building. I was also a bit surprised by swastikas, I always thought their ornamental use was limited to India/Tibet but apparently they can be found all over the world, including by the Aztecs. Anyway, the whole thing is astonishing, thanks for posting the pics.

Btw, the glyphs say: "If you can read this, you must be schizophrenic."

[Chord]

I too was surprised to find the swastikas as part of the decor. I did a little research via google and it's definitely a pretty standard element in Mesoamerican art.

 

The strangest part was that they were not the familiar equilateral swastikas found in Nazi propaganda. Rather, the version in the Sutter St. building was composed of three fish-hook shapes & one capital L shape:

 

 

This was consistent for all of the "swastikas" throughout the building, as far as I could tell. What on earth it means, I have no idea.

[Gownaar]

This is what I've found: "For the Mayans the Swastika stood for creation and for the Incas and Aztecs it represented the four seasons due to its four arms, the centre symbolizing the Sun.". Following that explanation, the capital L shape could represent the season that had special importance, possibly summer as it's the time of harvest and it's also the only shape pointing at the centre.

[MeddlingMonk]

Swastikas are historically very common, to the ironic extent that they've even been found in the remains of at least one ancient synagogue. And, no, I'm not kidding.

 

I doubt that the presence of swastikas in 450 Sutter Street means anything at all. It's not as if this is the only modern building to include them. Or to have included them. The New York Presbyterian Hospital used to have swastikas, but they were converted to Greek crosses in 1938. (I got that from the WPA guide to New York City, BTW.)

[MeddlingMonk]

Until now, my real-world association with the DOD building interior was the Chrysler building.

 

I've never thought of any of the buildings in El Marrow as resembling the Chrysler building, although they do all have a kind of Art Deco or Beaux-Arts thing going on.

 

There are several buildings around the El Marrow horizon in Year 1 that look a lot like the Nebraska state capitol building (towers with golden domes). There are others that seem familiar, but I've never been able to peg names to them. There's just a general feeling of recognition, but I don't know.

 

I mentally associate El Marrow with New York, even though that freeway ramp is more Los Angeles. Maybe they picked buildings from all over that were built more or less in the same period. If I knew more about architecture (better: if I knew anything at all), it might be fun to try to identify the buildings. As it is, I'm useless.

[Gownaar]

I've never been to USA but I have of course seen lots of footage of NY skyline and it's also my first association with El Marrow. I've seen a documentary about the Chrysler building and I really loved that Art Deco style and the abundance of marble surfaces in the lobby. Those are the images evoked when I strole with Manny through the DOD building. I don't have a special interest in architecture or design as such but I'm a sucker for retro and for me, GF wouldn't have half of its charm if the setting had been more contemporary.

[Tall Guy]

absolutely brilliant! thanks for the pics. hope i get the chance to visit that place some day.