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 is a community center led by women. This center helps people learn about arts and education. It also works to support ideas like self-determination (making your own choices), gender equality (fairness for all genders), and social justice (fairness for everyone in society).
This four-story building helps over 20,000 women every year. It has been a place for events and meetings since 1979. That's when the San Francisco Women's Center bought it. Because this group owns the building, it is safe from rising costs in the Mission District.
The Women's Building is very important. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 2018. It also became a San Francisco Designated Landmark on March 1, 1985.
Building's Early Days
The building was first built in 1910. An architect named August Reinhold Denke designed it. It was made for a German exercise group called the Turnverein. The building was known as Mission Turn Hall until 1935. Other groups also used it, including the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West. 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 kept this name until 1978. That's when it got its current name, The Women's Building.
How The Women's Building Started
The San Francisco Women's Center started in 1973. By 1974, they had their first full-time worker. They moved into a small office. In 1976, they found it hard to find a place for a big meeting they were planning. This made them look for a permanent home.
From 1978 to 1979, they worked hard to raise money. They put down a first payment of $115,000. The total cost of the building was $535,000. They bought the building at 3543 18th Street.
A special meeting called "Becoming Visible: The First Black Women's Conference" happened here. It took place from October 17 to 19, 1980. This meeting was important for African-American women.
Tracy Gary and Marya Grambs helped start The Women's Building. Carmen Vázquez also worked there. In 1982, they talked about the building's early years. They shared how the building was being used. Roma Guy and her partner Diane also helped start the building.
In 1997, the building started a big update. This was needed to make it safer in case of an earthquake. During this time, a bar called the Dovre Club moved out. The bar had been in the building since 1979.
In 2018, the building received a grant of $160,000. This money helped them update the windows. They won this money in a contest for historical buildings.
MaestraPeace Mural
The MaestraPeace mural is a famous artwork on The Women's Building. Seven women artists painted it in 1994. These artists included Juana Alicia, Miranda Bergman, Edythe Boone, Susan Kelk Cervantes, Meera Desai, Yvonne Littleton, and Irene Perez. They had help from many volunteers.
The mural covers the outside of the building. It also goes into the entrance hall and stairway inside. It shows pictures of important women from history and stories. It also has the names of more than 600 women written on it. The San Francisco Women's Center says this mural is a "colorful work of art that sings to our community." It shows how different cultures and generations can work together.
Many of the original artists came back to the building. They updated the mural in 2000. They added more to the inside of the building in 2010. In 2012, they did a major restoration that cost $130,000. This work will help keep the mural's colors bright for another 100 years.
See also
- Mujeres Muralistas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in San Francisco
