San Rafael Improvement Club

The San Rafael Improvement Club, at 1800 5th Ave. in San Rafael, California, was built in 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]

San Rafael Improvement Club
San Rafael Improvement Club is located in California
San Rafael Improvement Club
Location1800 5th Ave., San Rafael, California
Coordinates37°58′30″N 122°32′20″W / 37.97500°N 122.53889°W / 37.97500; -122.53889
Area0.6 acres (0.24 ha)
Built1915, 1916
ArchitectWilliam B. Faville
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.84000907[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 29, 1984

It was built in 1915 as a pavilion for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, and was relocated and reassembled in 1916 in the City of San Rafael to be used as a permanent clubhouse building the San Rafael Improvement Club, a civic organization founded in 1902.

The organization may or may not have defined itself as a women's club, but photos show that is what it was.

It served as the Victrola Pavilion, for the Victrola company, inside the Liberal Arts Palace.[2]

It is a wooden building about 63 by 63 feet (19 m × 19 m) in plan. It was designed by William B. Faville in Classical Revival style. When it was reassembled, a roof was added.[2]

It was eventually sold by the club. It was unused from 1997 to at least 2018.[3]

The only other building surviving from the 1915 exposition is the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Richard Lytel (September 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: San Rafael Improvement Club". National Park Service. Retrieved December 5, 2019. With accompanying five photos from 1983, 1915, and c.1923
  3. ^ a b Carol Angel (March 31, 2018). "My Historic 'Sleeping Beauty'". Carol Angel's World. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)