The Women's Building (San Francisco) facts for kids
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The Women's Building
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The front of the San Francisco Women's Building in 2006.
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| Location | 3543-18th Street, San Francisco, California, United States, U.S. |
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| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | August Reinhold Denke |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002359 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 30, 2018 |
The Women's Building is a special place in San Francisco, California. It's a community center led by women. It helps people through arts and education.
This center works to support self-determination (people making their own choices). It also promotes gender equality (fairness for all genders) and social justice (fairness for everyone in society). The building has four floors. It rents space to many groups. It helps over 20,000 women every year.
The Women's Building has been a place for events and meetings since 1979. That's when the San Francisco Women's Center bought it. The Center owns the building completely. This helps it avoid high costs in the Mission District.
The building is important historically. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 2018. It has also been a San Francisco Designated Landmark since March 1, 1985.
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History of The Women's Building
The Women's Building is a four-story building. It was built in 1910. The architect was August Reinhold Denke. It was first built for a German exercise group called the Turnverein. It was known as the Mission Turn Hall until 1935.
Other groups have used the building too. These include organizations for different national or ethnic groups. For example, the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West used it. It was also called the Mission Turn-Verein Hall.
In 1935, a group called the Sons and Daughters of Norway bought the building. They renamed it Dovre Hall. It got its current name, The Women's Building, in 1978. This happened after the Women's Center bought it.
How The Women's Center Started
The San Francisco Women's Center began in 1973. By 1974, they hired their first full-time worker. They moved into a small office. In 1976, the Center was helping to plan a big meeting. This meeting was about ending harm against women. They had trouble finding a place for it. This made them look for a permanent home.
From 1978 to 1979, the Center raised money. They put down an initial payment of $10,000. Then they made a larger payment of $115,000. This was towards the total price of $535,000 for the building.
Tracy Gary was one of the people who helped organize the meeting about ending harm against women. She also helped start The Women's Building. Marya Grambs was another co-founder. Carmen Vázquez was a staff member. They were interviewed in 1982 by Julia Randall for KPFA. They talked about the challenges in the early years. They also discussed how the building was being used. Roma Guy and her partner Diane Jones also helped start The Women's Building.
In its first year, The Women's Building faced two attacks. There was a fire that caused $50,000 worth of damage. Also, a pipe bomb was set off on the front steps.
In 1997, the building started a big renovation. This cost $5 million. It was needed to make the building safer in an earthquake. During this work, an Irish bar called the Dovre Club had to move out. This bar had been in the building since 1979. The original owner had an agreement to stay there for his lifetime. After he passed away in 1997, the bar tried to stay but eventually moved.
In 2018, the Center received a grant of $160,000. This money was for updating the building's windows. They won this funding in a contest for historic buildings.
MaestraPeace Mural (1994)
A beautiful mural called MaestraPeace covers the outside of The Women's Building. It also covers the entrance hall and stairway inside. It was painted in 1994.
Many talented women artists created this mural. They include Juana Alicia, Miranda Bergman, Edythe Boone, Susan Kelk Cervantes, Meera Desai, Yvonne Littleton, and Irene Perez. They worked with helpers and volunteers. The mural shows images of important women from history and stories. It also has the names of over 600 women written on it. The San Francisco Women's Center says this mural is a "spectacular" work of art. It shows teamwork from many cultures and generations.
Many of the original artists came back to the building for updates. They added to it in 2000. They expanded it inside the building in 2010. In 2012, a major restoration costing $130,000 took place. This restoration included a special treatment. It was designed to keep the mural's colors bright for another 100 years.
See also
- Mujeres Muralistas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in San Francisco
