About
The Women's Building
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History |
History The first offices, on Brady Street, soon grew too small for the volume of work that they took on, like publishing a newsletter, staffing a community switchboard, and organizing activist groups. So in 1979, SFWC purchased Dovre Hall, a former Sons of Norway meeting hall and neighborhood bar, and transformed it into the first woman-owned and operated community center in the country: The Women's Building. Since
then, The Women's Building (TWB) has sponsored over 170 emerging organizations,
many growing into established nonprofits, such as La
Casa de Las Madres (San Francisco's first shelter for battered
women), The
Women's Foundation of California and LYRIC
(Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center). In
1999, TWB underwent an extensive renovation & seismic retrofitting,
reopening in September of 2000. We estimate that over 10,000 people
pass through the doors every year to take advantage of a variety of
services or attend trainings and cultural events. The Women's Building History Project documents the oral histories of the women who founded The Women's Building.Our archives are kept at the Gay and Lesbian History Society and are available for perusal. For more information on The History Project, please contact Susan Pedrick at susan@womensbuilding.org or (415) 431-1180 ext. 14. The
Women's Building Nearing Its Centennial After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, a group of German-Americans, part of the German Tumeverein Society ("turner" in German means exercise, and "verein" translates as club or union), purchased a lot at 18th Street between Valencia and Guerrero Streets to provide gymnastic and meeting facilities for their Society and the community. Half a dozen Turnevereins as early as 1894. The Turners, as they were sometimes called, were instrumental in introducing physical education programs into the American public school system. The cornerstone for Mission Turn Hall, as the building came to be known, was laid on June 26, 1910. An article in the San Francisco Call noted that 3,000 people attended, including representatives from all the vereins in California, and "on the platform were grizzled veterans of the Franco-Prussian war in uniform." Master of ceremonies Emil Leiss observed, "On this solid foundation of brick, concrete and steel girder, will rise not only a splendid verein building, but what well may be regarded as a temple of liberty and education." The Call article concluded, "The new building will occupy a site 97' x 97', will be class A, mission style, four stories reinforced concrete, and will be fitted with halls, gymnasium rooms and full verein equipments It will cost $45,000." Built in Denke's first year as a registered architect, Mission Turn Hall was the first of many public buildings that he would create in the Bay Area. Among his buildings in San Francisco are the Owl Drug Store at 6th and Market Streets, the Crystal Cafeteria at Powell and Market Streets, and the Humboldt Building at Larkin and Washington Streets. He also designed dozens of private residences in San Francisco and Alameda. An article in the Call a mere six months after the groundbreaking ceremony announced the formal opening of Mission Turn Hall and commented that the building had cost $100,000. "Following the opening," the article noted, "there will he inaugurated a three days' fair, during which a season of merry carnival will he enjoyed." True to its purpose, for the next 25 years Mission Turn Hall served all populations - young and old, men and women, Irish, Italian, German - all "turned together." The building provided after-school classes for youngsters, a monthly exhibition followed by a social and dance, one-time courses for "civil servicers" (people needing to pass the physical requirements of the civil service exam), and a constanr stream of weddings, receptions, and parties. The Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West were tenants in the building for 50 years.
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The
Mission Revival-style building seas the creation of Bay Area architect
A.R. Denke. Born on October 16, 1869, Denke along with his family
moved to Alameda when he was five years old. Educated in the public
school systems of Oakland and San Francisco, Denke was a building
contractor for many years before becoming a licensed architect.|
3543 18th St. #8 San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 431-1180 Web
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