California Hall (San Francisco, California)
| California Hall | |
|---|---|
,_August_2022_-1.jpg) California Hall in 2022 | |
| Location | 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°46′57″N 122°25′09″W / 37.782455°N 122.419220°W |
| Built for | German Association |
| Architect | Frederick Herman Meyer[1] |
| Architectural style(s) | German Baroque[1] |
| Designated | October 7, 1984[2] |
| Reference no. | 174 |
  Location of California Hall in San Francisco County  California Hall (San Francisco, California) (California) | |
California Hall, originally named Das Deutsche Haus[3] (English: The German House, sometimes also referred to in incorrect German as Das Deutsches Haus), is a historic commercial building and event venue built in 1912, located in the Polk Gulch/Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, California.[4]
It started as a German social meeting hall.[1] In 1965, it was the location of a fundraiser event for gay charities that brought trouble with the police and an ensuing legal battle. This event has been described a turning point in gay rights in the west coast.[5]
In the mid-1960s and 1970s, it was a popular concert hall; performers that played at the California Hall include Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Grateful Dead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service.[6]
The building presently[when?] is part of the Academy of Art University campus. The California Hall has been listed as a San Francisco Designated Landmark since October 7, 1984.[7][2]
History[edit]
In 1912, when the Das Deutsche Haus was built, Polkstrasse (now Polk Street) was a main commercial shopping center for German immigrants.[4][8] The architect was Frederick H. Meyer and the design of the building was influenced by the Heidelberg Castle in Germany.[4][1] There was a restaurant in the basement called the Rathskeller.[9]
It was originally used as a meeting space by 43 German societies and fraternities.[9] In 1918, the building's name was changed to California Hall, as part of what has been described as a general "process of physically removing the presence of German influence" in San Francisco following the entry of the US into World War I on the side opposing Germany.[9][10] German American Bund, a Nazi organization for Americans of German-descent, held meetings in the building prior to World War II.[9] In October 1938, it was the venue of a "German Day" celebration attended by 2500 members of German societies, with speeches by mayor Rossi and Nazi Germany's Consul General von Killinger, protested by 150 anti-Nazi demonstrators outside the building.[11]
The building was featured in the action movie, Dirty Harry (1971).[6] The building previously housed the California Culinary Academy,[12] and it is presently[when?] part of the Academy of Art University campus.
1965 New Years Ball[edit]
In the 1950s gay men started to visit Polk Street, specifically the area near California Hall in Lower Polk.[13] The 1965 New Years Ball (a fundraiser for the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, and other homophile organizations) was held January 1, 1965 at the California Hall.[13] During the event, the police interfered with the gay attendees by taking photos of each person entering the building; which prompted a legal battle led by Evander Smith and Herb Donaldson.[14][15] The 1965 event had marked a turning point in gay rights on the west coast.[5]
By 1971, Polk Street was advertised as "one of the gayest streets in San Francisco".[13] A migration from Polk Street to the Castro District happened in the 1970s, for more affordable housing.
Music venue[edit]
The space has an auditorium that served as a periodic concert hall, primarily for rock bands in the mid-1960s.[6] In 1965, the venue hosted two productions by Family Dog; The Charlatans with the Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters Acid Tests happening (at the same time at The Fillmore, a bus moved between the two music halls).[6][9]
The Grateful Dead played with The Charlatans on May 29, 1966; and on October 31, 1966, with Quicksilver Messenger Service and Mimi Farina.[6] On June 19, 1966, Carlos Santana played with the three person Mockers band.[6]
On August 28, 1977, punk bands played including the Avengers, The Nuns, and Mary Monday.[6] The last concerts were held in 1983.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Cerny, Susan Dinkelspiel (2007). An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Gibbs Smith. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-58685-432-4.
- ^ a b "City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks" (PDF). City of San Francisco. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
- ^ German House Association: Das Deutsche Haus, San Francisco, ca. 1911
- ^ a b c Accardi, Catherine (2012). San Francisco Landmarks. Arcadia Publishing. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-7385-9580-1.
- ^ a b Yogi, Stan (2007-06-24). "The night San Francisco's sense of gay pride stood up to be counted". SFGate. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g Katz, Mike; Kott, Crispin (2021-05-14). Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 32, 55, 108, 131. ISBN 978-1-4930-4174-9.
- ^ "San Francisco Landmark #174: California Hall". noehill.com. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "The resurrection of Polk Street". East Bay Times. 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ a b c d e Selvin, Joel (April 1996). San Francisco: The Musical History Tour: A Guide to Over 200 of the Bay Area's Most Memorable Music Sites. Chronicle Books. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-8118-1007-4.
- ^ Williams, Stefanie E. (2020). "The Rise and Decline of the German-speaking Community in San Francisco, 1850–1924" (PDF). The Argonaut. 31 (1). San Francisco Historical Society.
- ^ Miller, Johnny (September 29, 2013). "Dravecky has cancerous tumor: Oct. 1, 1988". SF Gate.
- ^ "Over the Gate: Lunching at a Landmark". The Napa Valley Register. 1996-09-30. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ a b c Sides, Josh (2011). Erotic City: Sexual Revolutions and the Making of Modern San Francisco. Oxford University Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-19-987406-4.
- ^ Miller, Neil (1995). Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the present. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 348. ISBN 978-0679749882.
- ^ Cain, Patricia A. (Oct 1993). "Litigating for Lesbian and Gay Rights: A Legal History". Virginia Law Review. 79 (7 Symposium on Sexual Orientation and the Law): 1551–1641. doi:10.2307/1073382. JSTOR 1073382.
Further reading[edit]
- Season 2, episode 9 of the podcast “Making Gay History” is about Donaldson and Evander Smith
External links[edit]
Media related to California Hall (San Francisco, California) at Wikimedia Commons
