By Henry Crowell
henrycrowell5@gmail.com
For a more visual look at City College’s history, check out page 4 in Issue 8 of the physical newspaper here.
City College has had a long and rich history in San Francisco, spanning 90 years from its inception in 1935 to the present day. In celebration of the institution’s 90th anniversary, The Guardsman charts the college’s history to illustrate how it has evolved in tandem with the city.
Trolley Car College
The school’s population grew quickly after opening, requiring expansion to classrooms throughout the city, such as at Lick-Wilmerding, Samuel Gompers Trade School (which later became the Mission Center), and Marina Junior High School. The distances between all the various classrooms gave the college the nickname “Trolley Car College.” One political ad, which campaigned for funds to build a central campus in 1938, portrayed a student “Running Around San Francisco for an Education” via cable cars, street cars and on foot.
After which, the once steadily growing enrollment was crippled when the United States entered World War II. City College provided basic educational training to Army and Navy personnel throughout the war. When the war ended, veterans came home to join high school graduates in the burgeoning San Francisco junior college.
Throughout history, residents of San Francisco have elected to fund the continued development of the college by voting in favor of well over a billion dollars worth of city bond measures.
February 15, 1935: San Francisco’s Board of Education passes a resolution establishing a “Junior College” for San Francisco.
September 4, 1935: Instruction begins, with morning classes held at the University of California’s extension at 540 Powell Street, and afternoon classes held at Galileo High School.
Nov. 27, 1935: The then-weekly student publication changes its name to The Guardsman for its third issue. The first two issues of the publication ran under the name Emanon, which is “no name” spelled backwards. The Guardsman used the ruins of the former Ingleside Jail as headquarters for the first five years of our existence.
1937: Architect Timothy L. Pfluenger, designer of numerous buildings throughout the Bay Area, such as the Castro and El Rey Theatres, unveils his proposal for a central campus. This plan includes Science Hall, as well as a library, swimming pool, and performing arts center.
1938: The price tag for this campus is determined to be $2.8 million. While the government was willing to cover 45% of the cost with New Deal money, the college needed city voters to raise the remaining funds via a bond measure. Proposition 4, passed on September 27, 1938, guaranteed the development of the campus.
1940: Timothy Pflueger invited Diego Rivera to participate in the Golden Gate International Exposition and commissioned him to paint a giant mural that would later be installed at City College.
November 10, 1940: Science Hall is dedicated. The approach to the building quickly earns the name “Pneumonia Hill” due to winds reaching 40 miles per hour, which made it difficult to open the 200-pound doors at the main entrance. Two gymnasiums were built alongside it.
1944: The Navy builds a temporary military base on the Balboa Reservoir, which later becomes the West campus after the end of World War II.
1952: Cloud Hall is constructed. It is named after the first president of City College, Archibald Cloud.
1956: Smith Hall is constructed, housing culinary classes and a cafeteria.
1957: Pflueger’s brother, Milton, went to the SFUSD with plans to install the Rivera mural in a new City College theater in place of the library Timothy had planned in 1937.
1961: Milton Pflueger’s “Diego Rivera Theater” is completed, with its design accounting for the Rivera mural’s installation into a curved wall. The Creative Arts building is also completed, providing space for art and music classes.
1965: The Statler Wing is added onto Smith Hall, housing the Alice Statler Library.
1968: The now demolished Conlan Hall is introduced, named after Archibald Cloud’s successor, Louis Conlan. The “education services building” included counseling offices and a larger bookstore.
1969: The Student Union building is constructed, featuring space for the Student Council, an auditorium, and a café.
1970: The Airport Campus is established at SFO, housing the Aircraft Maintenance Technology Program. By 1976, City College was in possession of three different planes, as well as two helicopters.
1971-1981: Numerous “Centers” are constructed across the city. John Adams campus is opened first, at the site of the former Lowell building, followed by the Mission Center, which used the space formerly occupied by the Samuel Gompers Trade School, the Downtown campus at Fourth and Mission, the Civic Center Campus (now closed), and finally the Chinatown campus. These sites offered a range of classes, including ESL courses and child development programs.
1979: Batmale Hall is completed, although due to budget concerns, the exterior tiling is never finished. Named after the college’s first Chancellor, Dr. Louis Batmale, it was the last new construction on Ocean Campus for the next 14 years.
1985-1991: 12.3 acres of the Balboa Reservoir are to be sold to a private developer by the city. City College envisions the Reservoir as the path to completing Ocean Campus, and fought tooth and nail to keep the land. After four rounds of voting, with housing being rejected every time, Mayor Art Agnos signed over the 12.3 acres to the college in 1991.
1989: Evolving from a gay literature course in the early 1970’s, The Queer Studies department is opened in 1989, the first of it’s kind in the entire country.
1994: The Evans campus opens, offering classes in valuable trade programs, such as automotive technology and construction.
2002: City College is the first Bay Area community college to offer a motorcycle maintenance program.
2004: The giant Olmec head, known as “El Rey,” is donated to the college by then-Governor of Veracruz, Mexico, Miguel Alemán Velasco.
2006: The Student Health Center opens, housing consultation and treatment rooms on the first floor and classrooms on the second.
2008: The Health and Wellness Center opens, consolidating the athletic departments and providing a weight room and swimming pool among many other facilities.
2010: The Harry Britt Building (formerly known as the Multi-Use) is completed.
2018: The road running alongside the west side of Ocean Campus is renamed Frida Kahlo Way in honor of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo was married to Diego Rivera, whose mural is located at City College.
2020: Proposition A is passed in San Francisco, providing more than $800 million in funding for new buildings and facility upgrades. Included in the plans are a new Diego Rivera Theater, STEAM building and Student Success Center at Ocean campus.
2024: A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new state-of-the-art STEAM building is held on December 12, 2024.
2025: City College celebrates its 90th anniversary. The new Student Success Center is slated to open its doors in the fall.