Finding aid to the James A. Scott Photographs
(1960-1995)
SFP 24
Finding aid prepared by Christina Moretta
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
2018
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Title: James A. Scott Photographs
Date (inclusive): 1960-1995
Date (bulk): 1965-1975
Identifier/Call Number: SFP 24
Creator:
Scott, James A.
Physical Description:
6 boxes
(3 Cubic Feet)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
info@sfpl.org
Abstract: The photograph collection documents the architectural styles of San Francisco buildings photographed by James A. Scott from
1960 – 1995 (with the bulk of the collection 1965 – early 1970s). The collection includes over 4,000 photographic prints,
190 rolls of negatives and a photo essay entitled San Francisco Shooting Match. Scott photographed significant San Francisco
buildings as well as residences in neighborhoods across the city. Over the span of 35 years photographing the city's architecture,
Scott was able to document the buildings demolished by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency in the Western Addition and
South of Market districts.
Physical Location: The collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is available for use during Photo Desk hours.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish from photographs must be submitted in writing to the Photo Curator. Permission for
publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], James A. Scott Photographs (SFP 24), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Provenance
Purchase from photographer James A. Scott. 2000-02.
Conservation Note
During processing, the photographs were re-housed in acid-free envelopes.
Biography
James Allen Scott was born on October 13, 1922 to Helen Lubin Scott and Donald Oliver Scott in San Francisco, California.
The Scott family lived first in San Francisco and then in Eden of Alameda County. Scott attended Hayward Union High School
and won a summer session scholarship to California School of Fine Arts in 1937. Scott photographed the architectural features
of San Francisco from 1960 – 1995. From 1975 until his death, Scott lived on California Street in lower Pacific Heights.
Scope and Contents
The photograph collection documents the architectural styles of San Francisco buildings photographed by James A. Scott from
1960 – 1995 (with the bulk of the collection 1965 – early 1970s). The collection includes over 4,000 photographic prints,
190 rolls of negatives and a photo essay entitled San Francisco Shooting Match. Scott photographed significant San Francisco
buildings as well as residences in neighborhoods across the city. Over the span of 35 years photographing the city's architecture,
Scott was able to document the buildings demolished by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency in the Western Addition and
South of Market districts. Scott arranged the collection by architectural style. All of the photographic prints have the location
of the photo on the backside of the photograph.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series: Series 1: Photographic prints; series 2: Negatives; series 3: Photo essay.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architecture -- California -- San Francisco
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Commercial buildings -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
Historic buildings -- California -- San Francisco -- Pictorial works
Photographic prints, 1960-1970
Photographic prints, 1970-1980
Photographic prints, 1980-1990
Photographic prints--1990-2000.
box 1-3
Series 1
Photographic prints
1960-1995
Physical Description:
4,620 Photographic Prints
Arrangement
The photographic prints are arranged by architectural style.
Scope and Contents
The photographic prints are arranged by architectural style and include prints between 1960 and 1995 of San Francisco buildings.
The prints are both black and white and color. The prints have handwritten locations on the backside as well as corresponding
negative roll numbers.
box 1, folder 1
Spanish Colonial & Mexican
1960-1995
Physical Description:
8 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 2
Mission Style
1960-1995
Physical Description:
55 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Homes, aprtment houses & public buildings in Mission Style, in Mission Style-Queen Anne combination & Mission Style-Western
Stick combination.
box 1, folder 3
California Spanish Revival
1960-1995
Physical Description:
59 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 4
Pueblo Style
1960-1995
Physical Description:
19 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 5
Spanish Colonial Revival
1960-1995
Physical Description:
57 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 6
Stucco Spanish Castle
1960-1995
Physical Description:
31 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 7
Baroque Spanish & Spanish Colonial Public Buildings
1960-1995
Physical Description:
57 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 8
Revivals
1960-1995
Physical Description:
43 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
17th & 18th Century English, American & Dutch Colonial & American Federal 1870-1940 & Federal Roman 1850-1945.
box 1, folder 9
San Francisco's 1st two decades
1960-1995
Physical Description:
73 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 10
Italian Villa
1960-1995
Physical Description:
26 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 11
Early Italianate Victorian
1960-1995
Physical Description:
50 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 12
Italianate Victorian
1960-1995
Physical Description:
100 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 13
Victorian Mansarol
1960-1995
Physical Description:
62 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 14
Victorian Gothic; Venetian Gothic
1960-1995
Physical Description:
87 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 15
Chateaux
1960-1995
Physical Description:
31 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 16
Applique Eastlake & Victorian Street
1960-1995
Physical Description:
315 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Including Eastern Stick & Stick Eastlake
box 1, folder 17
Romanesque Revival
1960-1995
Physical Description:
70 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 18
Byzantine Tradition
1960-1995
Physical Description:
22 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 19
Queen Anne Victorian
1960-1995
Physical Description:
228 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 20
Late Queen Anne
1960-1995
Physical Description:
76 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 21
Modest Homes in Eastlake
1960-1995
Physical Description:
57 Photographic Prints
box 1, folder 22
Parisian Rococco
1960-1995
Physical Description:
28 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 23
Beaux Arts Classicism
1960-1995
Physical Description:
128 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 24
Neo Classicism (Edwardian)
1960-1995
Physical Description:
131 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Greco-Roman & Baroque with often Queen Anne turrets & other Victorians
box 2, folder 25
Art Nouveau
1960-1995
Physical Description:
48 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 26
Neo Classic Public Buildings
1960-1995
Physical Description:
73 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 27
French
1960-1995
Physical Description:
26 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 28
Shingled
1960-1995
Physical Description:
66 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Homes in Victorian, Stick, English 17th & 18th Century
box 2, folder 29
Shingled
1960-1995
Physical Description:
26 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Mid 20th Cenutury
box 2, folder 30
Western Stick-Craftsman style
1960-1995
Physical Description:
112 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 31
Medieval Stick Style
1960-1995
Physical Description:
39 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 32
Old English Timber-Tudor, Jacobean & other
1960-1995
Physical Description:
44 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 33
Old English Timber-Tudor, Jacobean & imitation thatch
1960-1995
Physical Description:
26 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 34
The Mini-Castle
1960-1995
Physical Description:
12 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 35
Prairie, Stick & Neo-Classic
1960-1995
Physical Description:
25 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 36
Mediterranean Style
1960-1995
Physical Description:
58 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 37
San Francisco Stucco
1960-1995
Physical Description:
38 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 38
Florentine & Venetian Renaissance
1960-1995
Physical Description:
26 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 39
Early 20th Century apartment house
1960-1995
Physical Description:
23 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 40
Utility Buildings
1960-1995
Physical Description:
65 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Warehouses, factories, tanks, power houses.
box 2, folder 41
International Style
1960-1995
Physical Description:
29 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 42
Art Deco
1960-1995
Physical Description:
46 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 43
Art Moderne
1960-1995
Physical Description:
36 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 44
Destruction Era
1960-1995
Physical Description:
38 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 45
Glass Curtain Wall
1960-1995
Physical Description:
11 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 46
Oriental
1960-1995
Physical Description:
43 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 47
High Rise
1960-1995
Physical Description:
78 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Second half of 20th Century plus construction photos.
box 2, folder 48
Neo-prairie ranch & stick of the mid-20th Century
1960-1995
Physical Description:
34 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 49
Mid Century modified traditional
1960-1995
Physical Description:
74 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 50
Eaveless Domestic
1960-1995
Physical Description:
26 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 51
Brutalism, treated concrete & techincal chic
1960-1995
Physical Description:
41 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 52
Mid-century currents & shortlived styles
1960-1995
Physical Description:
23 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 53
Islamic & Indian
1960-1995
Physical Description:
24 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 54
Gothic
1960-1995
Physical Description:
28 Photographic Prints
box 2, folder 55
Street Trim
1960-1995
Physical Description:
86 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Sidewalks, steps, pedestrian overpasses, lighting, clocks, drinking fountains, hydrants, poles, signs.
box 3, folder 56
Streets
1960-1995
Physical Description:
179 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Tracks, parking & construction projects
box 3, folder 57
Vehicles & Conveyances
1960-1995
Physical Description:
49 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 58
Bay, ocean, shoreline, waterfront
1960-1995
Physical Description:
113 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 59
Wrought & cast metal
1960-1995
Physical Description:
20 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 60
San Francisco Geology
1960-1995
Physical Description:
128 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Parks (including Presidio & Alcatraz), flora, playgrounds.
box 3, folder 61
Folk Art
1960-1995
Physical Description:
63 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 62
Windows
1960-1995
Physical Description:
37 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 63
Selected photos
1960-1995
Physical Description:
20 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Texture & pattern in San Francisco.
box 3, folder 64
Fire Houses, House stables & livery stables
1960-1995
Physical Description:
36 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 65
Scenes & Views
1960-1995
Physical Description:
68 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 66
Sculpture, memorials, mosaics, murals
1960-1995
Physical Description:
125 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 67
Famous Architects
1960-1995
Physical Description:
43 Photographic Prints
Scope and Contents
Includes buildings by Maybeck, Polk, Wright, Julia Morgan.
box 3, folder 68
Glazed ceramic & decorative tile facing
1960-1995
Physical Description:
45 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 69
Contrasting styles
1960-1995
Physical Description:
34 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 70
Movie theaters
1960-1995
Physical Description:
53 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 71
People & animals
1960-1995
Physical Description:
63 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 72
Unusual structures & follies
1960-1995
Physical Description:
65 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 73
Patterns, reflections & shadows
1960-1995
Physical Description:
67 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 74
Backyard, vacant yard, junk yard & back alleys
1960-1995
Physical Description:
56 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 75
Hillsides
1960-1995
Physical Description:
58 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 76
Nostalgia & reaction
1960-1995
Physical Description:
5 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 77
Late 20th Century High Tech
1980-1995
Physical Description:
46 Photographic Prints
box 3, folder 78
Late 20th Century Domestic
1980-1995
Physical Description:
7 Photographic Prints
box 4-5
Series 2
Negatives
1960-1995
Physical Description:
190 rolls Film negatives
Arrangement
Negatives are arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The series consists of 190 rolls of film negatives shot by James A. Scott. The negatives are arranged chronogically by date.
The day, month and year are noted on each envelope. The roll numbers correspond with the photographic prints which have the
roll numbers noted on the backsides.
box 6, folder 1-6
Series 3
San Francisco Shooting Match
circa 1999
Physical Description:
.5 Cubic Feet
411 pages
Scope and Contents
From title page: "A photo essay in which new shots are matched with old to show the physical changes that have marked San
Francisco's recent history." The photo essay is 411 pages mounted with photographic prints and typed narrative. The "old"
photos are from the early 1960s - early 1970s and the "new" photos are from the early 1990s. The photo essay documents redevelopment
in the Western Addition and South of Market as well as the changing urban landscape in downtown San Francisco. Includes an
index with page number, date, frame, roll number and subject.
