History of the City Hall and Civic Center by T.B. McGinnis, 1912-1918

Processed by Chris McDonald.

The Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

Phone: (510) 642-6481

Fax: (510) 642-7589

Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu

URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/

History of the City Hall and Civic Center by T.B. McGinnis, 1912-1918

Collection number: BANC PIC 1995.006--ALB

The Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

Phone: (510) 642-6481

Fax: (510) 642-7589

Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu

URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/

Finding Aid Author(s):: Processed by Chris McDonald.
Finding Aid Encoded By:: GenX

Collection Summary

Collection Title: History of the City Hall and Civic Center by T.B. McGinnis

Collection Number: BANC PIC 1995.006--ALB

Collector: Thomas B. McGinnis

Extent: 119 photographic prints, various sizes; clippings; text of municipal report; compiled in album, 33 x 27 cm. 170 digital objects

Repository: The Bancroft Library.

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

Phone: (510) 642-6481

Fax: (510) 642-7589

Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu

URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/

Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is available for use.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish photographs must be submitted in writing to the Curator of Pictorial Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], History of the City Hall and Civic Center by T.B. McGinnis, 1912-1918, BANC PIC 1995.006--ALB, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Digital Representations Available

Digital representations of selected original pictorial materials are available in the list of materials below. Digital image files were prepared from selected Library originals by the Library Photographic Service. Library originals were copied onto 35mm color transparency film; the film was scanned and transferred to Kodak Photo CD (by Custom Process); and the Photo CD files were color-corrected and saved in JFIF (JPEG) format for use as viewing files.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The History of the City Hall and Civic Center album was purchased in 1995.

Scope and Content

The History of the City Hall and Civic Center photo album contains 119 photographic prints as well as various municipal reports and records, all dated from 1912-1918, which document the construction and early use of San Francisco's City Hall, Exposition Auditorium, and the greater Civic Center area. The album was compiled by Thomas B. McGinnis, Assistant Clerk, San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Superintendent of City Hall. McGinnis also wrote the text of the municipal report included in the album and may have been the principal photographer.

The construction of the new City Hall and Civic Center was necessitated by the earthquake and fire of 1906 which destroyed the previous City Hall. The photographs picture the buildings' development from the excavation of the sites beginning in 1913 to their completion and occupation by city officials in 1916. Several photographs document the gradual construction of both the steel framework and the stone exterior. Also pictured are interior views of City Hall and the Exposition Auditorium; ground breaking and cornerstone ceremonies; views of the Civic Center Plaza and the San Francisco Public Library; several photographic reproductions of architectural plans and notes; the San Francisco City Treasury; and a group portrait of Boy Scouts. Individuals pictured include architects John Bakewell, Jr., and Arthur Brown, Jr.; sculptor Grenier; San Francisco Mayor James Rolph, Jr.; San Francisco City Supervisors George Gallagher and Paul Bancroft; and San Francisco City Attorney Percy V. Long.

Non-photographic material includes the text of the 1915-1916 San Francisco Municipal Report "City Hall and Civic Center History," clippings of resolutions and ordinances relating to the City Hall and the Civic Center, many of which are dated as late as 1919; manuscript notes regarding additional resolutions; and two 1916 letters from architects Bakewell and Brown to the San Francisco Bureau of Architecture describing the significance of Grenier's sculptural contribution to City Hall.

The only identified photographer is John Channing.

San Francisco City Hall. Polk Street Elevation. [Inside front cover. Photographic reproduction of architectural drawing.] BANC PIC 1995.006:001--ALB