Local public Farm and "The Sunol Temple"

Looks alot like the Temple of Vesta in Rome Stan. Kind of out of place architecture. Looking at those puckered up hills in the distance, it seems to be near a fault line and I'm surprised that it didn't get knocked down by one of your famous west coast earthquakes. That would have made it really look like an antiquity. Seems to be an architect's bright idea serving some purpose. Do you know the story behind this pastoral surprise? P.S. you are having rain? That's really great news!

We were a bit scrunched for time. I didn't get a chance to read the plaques. Soon.
Over those hills in the distance the Vineyards start..much hotter summers.
The Big rains are almost here. We've done ok so far..about average. We were average last year in rains. Way behind in snow. Warmer last year.

I just enlarged the picture of the temple and the ornate bronze sculptured cap on the roof is a vase or urn adorned with fish on it. The fish at the base of this vessel are heads down and tail up, curved outwards and the reverse near the top. The capitals on the columns have flowers. I surmise the symbolism has something to do with water and the benefits thereof.

"I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry lands springs of water" is the inscription.

It was built in 1910. It used to be a source of city drinking water. It was once owned by a water company.

I see it also has Native American Indian maiden paintings on the undersides of the roof.

Our 1988 Earthquake nearly brought it down.

What a beautiful place Stan. Thank goodness it survived the earthquake.

Its called a public farm - what does that mean exactly_ Can't see any crops or animals but perhaps its the wrong time of year?

The inscription you can see in the photo is from Psalm 46 v.4 and the one you quote is from Isaiah 41, v.18. - it would be interesting to know why they were chosen is there a problem with water supply in that area?.

Wikie has the details-ha. Its where I got it. Plus they have a photo of the mural of maidens.

I added 2 more photos. The ones with the tractor and a long row of picked Pumpkins..is too large 5.8kb or the like.

Seems that neo classical revival buildings to house waterworks of one sort or another were popular for awhile. Another example on my side, the east coast, is the Fairmont water works in Philadelphia which is quite impressive. Come to think of it, a block away from where I used to live in New York, the New York City public baths is another good example. It's still in operation. Why was it built? They took a survey at the turn of the 20th century of the east side of New York and found that there was one bath tub for every 79 families. Reminds me, I didn't know what hot running water was out of a faucet was till I was 12 years old. My family lived in a cold water flat. The Saturday Night Bath was no urban legend to me:)

Water works and public baths here also used often to be built in neo classical styles too. If it used to be a water works that explains it . Its very elegant.

The Temple reminds me of a similar building on the South Downs, England, north of Patcham. It commemorates the place where Indian soldiers who died at a local hospital during WW1 wanted to be cremated and their ashes taken out to be cast onto the sea, because that is their faith.
Every summer the Indian High Commissioner goes there for their Remembrance Day and lays a wreath on behalf of his country. It stands there, all alone in the landscape,
epitomises the hundreds who came to help our country in its time of need, and never went home.

Here's my take on History. When this was built almost all the bay area was San Francisco or Oakland. The rest of an Area that right now has 7 million people couldn't have been much more then tens of thousands or a low few hundred thousand with San Jose also.
Hayward was orchards, a "main street" laughably- or cutely small. Other cities that are near a million now (Fremont)- same.
There still was one wild California Grizzly.

SO this temple seemed like a huge water source then..was in reality just a trickle to whats needed now. I don't even think the water that you see in the temple is potable.
Even the concrete bridges nearby I cross have dates like 1910 or the near modern 1939 stamped on them- they never do that now do they? serial numbers no doubt. Its a throwback in time. Not a bad commute.