A Brief Summary
Variously known as "UC Hospital Building," "Beaux Arts Hall," and the "Old Hospital Building," UC Hall is the fourth major building constructed on the UCSF Parnassus campus, the oldest still standing, possibly the most beautiful, and easily the most historically significant. It was designed by Lewis P. Hobart, renowned architect who is credited with many of this area's most notable buildings and residences, including Grace Cathedral. Steinhart Acquarium, the Bohemian Club, and the Del Monte Hotel in Monterey. Constructed in 1917 as the University of California's first teaching hospital, UC Hall remains to this day a standing monument to UC President Benjamin Ide Wheeler's and Medical School Dean Herbert C. Moffitt's vision of UCSF as the eminent medical institution it has become.Since the late 1960's UC Hall has housed the celebrated Zakheim frescoes, which depict the saga of medicine in the State of California and spotlight UCSF founding fathers and noteworthy figures. The muralist, Bernard Baruch Zakheim, studied at the San Francisco Art Institute under Diego Rivera and is among the WPA muralists whose works grace the interior of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.UC Hall is eligible for the California Register of Historic Resources. Sadly, it has been on UCSF's endangered list since at least 1996, and there are tentative plans afloat to begin demolishing in 2009.If you are interested in saving, please stay tuned.
This article is reprinted with permission from UCSF Magazine v 1&2 November of 1978.
Chris Creighton
(415) 566-7815
henotbusybeingbornis@yahoocom
This Blog was created in the hopes of saving from demolition the Beaux Arts Hall on UCSF Campus.
This article is reprinted with permission from UCSF Magazine v 1&2 November of 1978.
