San Francisco Architectural Club

Educational and social club founded in 1901 for local and aspiring architects, architectural draftsmen, and others interested in professional advancement and exchange in the field of architecture.

Administrative History

The San Francisco Architectural Club (SFAC) was founded in 1901 by a group of nineteen draftsmen "for the purpose of maintaining an educational program to develop the talents of its members and provide opportunities for study and advancement in all phases of architectural practice, and as a social club for architects, architectural draftsmen, and men of kindred interests in closely associated occupations, a place where ideas can be exchanged" (SFAC membership brochure, n.d. [1960s]).

Inclusion and education of non-degreed architectural professionals were basic tenets from the club's inception, which came on the heels of legislation requiring state certification for architects, a development that tended to exclude draftsmen and other architectural workers who may not have had access to university architectural education. The SFAC's Atelier program--one of the earliest accredited programs of architectural study in the San Francisco Bay Area--offered, under the supervision of the Beaux-Arts Institute of America, practical workshops in building and site-planning problems, plus lectures and courses in drawing, architectural detailing, specification writing, interior design, rendering, building and estimating, as well as competitions in some of these areas. An annual seminar for those about to take the California state architectural certification examination was a popular and well-attended educational feature for many years.

Another of the club's notable activities was the annual public loan exhibition, a presentation that was meant not only to showcase the year's most interesting architectural work for those in the field, but also to educate the public about traditions and new developments in architecture. Eventually placed under the direction of the Architectural League of the Pacific Coast, these exhibitions were documented by SFAC publications-- first as catalogues and later by yearbooks. Decidedly less formal publications of the SFAC included newsletters (titled Esquisse, Meditations, and Architectural notes ), brochures soliciting new members, and announcements of lectures and classes.

The "social club" aspect of the SFAC received just as much of its members' attention. Throughout the years, the club offered its members outings, parties, picnics, hikes, field trips, banquets, and Bohemian Club-style "Jinx."

Some early club members whose names will be familiar to those interested in the history of architecture in San Francisco include George Applegarth, John Bakewell Jr., William B. Faville, Edward L. Frick, Timothy Pflueger, Willis K. Polk, and Ernest Weihe.

The club's importance as an educational institution declined following World War II, when university architectural education became more widely accessible. Membership decreased considerably, and by the 1970s, only seven members continued to meet monthly. The SFAC saw a resurgence of activity in the 1980s, when renewed interest in classical architecture and the concern of younger architects, historians, and archivists helped bring about an increase in the club's ranks. The SFAC's bylaws were revised, and studio classes, lectures, workshops, colloquia, and other events sponsored by the club drew the interest and participation of a wide range of persons.