California Hall | |
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![]() California Hall in 2022 | |
Location | 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Coordinates | 37°46′57″N122°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 |
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]
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.
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]
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.
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