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Photo, Print, Drawing Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA

[ Photos from Survey HABS CA-2724  ]

More Resources

[ Data Pages from Survey HABS CA-2724  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HABS CA-2724  ]

About this Item

Title

  • Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA

Names

  • Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
  • Dinkelspiel, Lloyd W
  • Brown, Arthur
  • Hyman, Samuel Lightner
  • Appleton, A
  • BOLA Architecture + Planning, contractor
  • Stamets, John, photographer
  • Maul, David, transmitter

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1933

Headings

  • -  Jewish Americans
  • -  community centers
  • -  charity
  • -  California -- San Francisco County -- San Francisco

Latitude / Longitude

  • 37.78455,-122.44638

Notes

  • -  Significance: The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCC SF) was formally incorporated in 1930. However, its roots go back to 1874 with the establishment of the city's first Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA). The JCC SF reflects a progressive period in American history that resulted in the provision of services and facilities for the underprivileged, and/or for minority ethnic groups. The Jewish Community Center project reflected both national and local efforts to facilitate coordination and effective work among Jewish social, athletic, cultural and charitable organizations by gathering them under one roof. Nationwide the Jewish community was influential in group social work, helping to develop the profession of social workers, and a wide variety of inclusive charitable organizations. In the era spanning 1900 to 1940, Jewish leaders in many American cities promoted the local development of these community centers to serve their communities as a central location for public service organizations, and recreational and social venues. The JCC SF is not closely associated with any specific event in the history of San Francisco or community, nor with any one individual significant to the city, state or nation. However, it has provided important community services for nearly seven decades, and is associated with the history of the Jewish community in San Francisco and individuals who were involved in a wide range of activities and organizations that benefited the city. The JCC SF building is a 61,750 square foot, two-story structure constructed of reinforced concrete with a wood truss system, and features a central, gable roofed pavilion with its east-west axis parallel to California Street, and two gable-roofed wings. Materials include Spanish clay tile roofing, stucco exterior finishes, and painted wood windows and doors. Interiors include stained wood doors and paneling and trim, plaster and ceramic tile finishes. Significant interior building elements include a lobby skylight, interior patio with ornamental metal staircase and a tile clad fountain, and exposed wood trusses in the gymnasium. The building design is an example of the work of the well known San Francisco architect, Arthur Brown Jr., and the associated firm of Hyman & Appleton. Designed in a Mediterranean Style with Art Deco details, it is atypical in the context of Brown's well known Classical Revival styled buildings. The building is not as significant a design as that of the nearby synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, which was designed also by Brown. However, it represents a high level of finish on the exterior and within its primary public spaces. As a Mediterranean styled building, the JCC SF was typical of its era and surroundings, and it represents an eclectic design of the early twentieth century. Use of this style suggests the process of assimilation of European Jewish immigrants, and their direct efforts to secularize services and recreation to benefit the broader community.
  • -  Survey number: HABS CA-2724
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1933 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1985 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1991 Subsequent Work

Medium

  • Photo(s): 40
  • Data Page(s): 57
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 3

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HABS CAL,38-SANFRA,204-

Source Collection

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • ca3097

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HABS CAL,38-SANFRA,204-
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

  • Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
    • If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
  • Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
    • If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
  • Data Pages
    • Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

  • Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
  • P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
  • Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
  • You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
    • Make note of the Call Number listed above.
    • Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
      • The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
      • All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Lloyd W Dinkelspiel, Arthur Brown, Samuel Lightner Hyman, A Appleton, and Contractor Bola Architecture + Planning, Stamets, John, photographer. Jewish Community Center of San Francisco,California Street, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA. San Francisco California San Francisco County, 1933. translateds by Maul, Davidmitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/ca3097/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Dinkelspiel, L. W., Brown, A., Hyman, S. L., Appleton, A. & Bola Architecture + Planning, C., Stamets, J., photographer. (1933) Jewish Community Center of San Francisco,California Street, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA. San Francisco California San Francisco County, 1933. Maul, D., trans Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ca3097/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, et al., photographer by Stamets, John. Jewish Community Center of San Francisco,California Street, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA. trans by Maul, Davidmitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/ca3097/>.