“GROWING IN THE mud, and yet so clean, the lotus is a symbol of purity,” writes the Sri Lankan historian Ananda K. Coomaraswamy in his 1913 book “The Arts and Crafts of India & Ceylon.” The lotus pool ...

Close your eyes and picture the Transamerica Pyramid. For most people living in the Bay Area, it’s an easy exercise. The pyramid appears in postcards, films and murals, and punctuates the city’s ...