This is Marina Middle School on the corner of Fillmore and Chestnut Streets in San Francisco. It was constructed in 1936 and designed by George Kelham and William Day.
The main school building facing Fillmore St has the names of great men (and they are all men) of science and art. Comte, Raphael, Plato, Galileo, Edison, Homer, Wagner, Euclid, Watt, Emerson, Moses, Milton, Darwin, Newton, Pasteur and Dante. The rear of the building overlooking the schoolyard also bears names including Aristotle and Washington. I didn't list all the names on that side so I wonder if any women are recognised there.
The decoration along the roofline incorporates bear's heads into an Art Deco band. Elsewhere panel at street level include lion's and ram's heads.
At one end of the building there is a frieze of a male figure carrying a torch and at the other end a female figure with a book.
Reference: San Francisco & 20th Century Design Tour Book, organised by
The 20th Century Society of the Carolina Mountains
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No, there are no women's names on the other side either.
ReplyDeleteSign of the times ... perhaps.
ReplyDeleteHow better are we today recognising great women?
the reason for the order and selection of the names on the frontispiece (facing fillmore) interests me. who selected the names? in what order and which names are on the back side of the building?
ReplyDeleteGood questions. Unfortunately I don't know the answers.
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