email: roadarch@outlook.com

San Francisco Area Art Deco & Streamline Moderne Buildings (page 1)

(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)

Maritime Museum
San Francisco, CA
speaker towers restroom building
The Maritime Museum was built as the Aquatic Park Bathhouse and Casino from 1936-1939 as a WPA project. It was designed by William Mooser III. Overlooking the Bay, the building is meant to resemble a luxury ocean liner. The interior and exterior features murals with a nautical theme. Since 1951, the building has housed the Maritime Museum. In 1978, the building was acquired by the National Park Service which continues to operate the museum. The building was restored from 2006-2009.

The speaker towers were built in 1939. They are 35 feet tall and made of concrete. The towers had speakers and were used for making announcements during sporting events and other entertainment that took place in the park. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

Coit Tower
San Francisco, CA
Sailors' Union of the Pacific
San Francisco, CA
Coit Tower was built in 1933. The murals on the interior were painted in 1934. The tower is 210 feet tall and built with reinforced concrete. For more, see this website. [map]

The Sailors' Union of the Pacific building was designed by William Gladstone Merchant and built in 1950. For more, see this website. [map]

Ocean Park Motel
San Francisco, CA
The Ocean Park Motel opened in 1937 as the Ocean Park Motor Court. It is believed to be the first motel built in San Francisco. This sign is probably from the 1940s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Henry Doelger Building
San Francisco, CA
The Henry Doelger Building was built in 1932 as the office for Doelger Home Sales. At that time, Doelger has already sold 3,000 homes in the Sunset and Golden Gate Heights neighborhoods in San Francisco. The building was designed by C.O. Clausen. The building was restored from 2013-2014 but has been vacant since then. These photos are from 2016. For more, see this website. [map]

U.S. Mint
San Francisco, CA
The U.S. Mint was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood. It opened in 1937. The Mint no longer produces circulating coins but it does produce proof coin sets. For more, see this website. [map]

NBC Studio Building
San Francisco, CA
The NBC Studio Building was designed by Albert F. Roller and built from 1941-1942. The 40-foot-tall mosaic mural depicting the radio industry was created by C.J. Fitzgerald. The building was remodeled for office space in the 1990s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Bridge Round House
San Francisco, CA
Bridge Cafe
San Francisco, CA
The Bridge Round House was built in 1938. There is conflicting information about whether the building was designed by Alfred Finnila or Vincent G. Raney. It is located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. The building originally housed a coffee shop. Later, it was used as a gift shop and office space. In 2021, the building began housing Equator Coffees. For more, see this website. [map]

The Bridge Cafe is also located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was also built in 1938. This photo is from 2014. By 2020, the letters were gone and the building appeared to be vacant. [map]