Landmark Designation Report: New Era Hall, 2117-2123 Market Street (Draft)

This Landmark Designation Report was prepared for the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission, a seven‐member body that makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the designation of landmark buildings and districts. From overview: "New Era Hall, located at 2117-2123 Market Street in the Upper Market Street neighborhood, is a Reconstruction-era social hall and commercial building. It is significant as a rare example of its property type, as the work of a master architect August Nordin, and for its association with the Visalia Stock Saddle Company. Completed and occupied within seven months of the earthquake and fire of April 1906, New Era Hall played a role in the social history of San Francisco from 1906-1914 as the home to several benevolent associations that were left without meeting spaces. New Era Hall is architecturally significant for its architectural qualities embodying Classical Revival organization and scale with Craftsman-style ornament. As a two-story building, it is proportionally designed to be a large-scale edifice; however, the utilization of Craftsman ornament maintains a small-scale feeling, despite its size. Of the seventy-two social halls in San Francisco in 1907, New Era Hall is one of nine surviving examples that retains excellent integrity. New Era Hall is an early example of master architect August Nordin’s work. Nordin’s San Francisco career began in 1899, ending with his death in 1936, after designing over 300 structures. New Era Hall also employs innovative structural techniques borrowed from railroad bridge technology in its roof truss design. Significant for its association with the rebuilding of San Francisco following the earthquake and fire of 1906, New Era Hall provided meeting space for numerous displaced organizations seeking a venue for meetings and events. The Name “New Era” itself implies a conscious participation in the rebuilding of San Francisco. A significant pioneer Mexican-American business dating from 1869, the Visalia Stock Saddle Company occupied the ground floor storefronts of New Era Hall for nearly 50 years starting in 1911. Recognized as significant by the Office of Historic Preservation for its contribution to the development of the “western saddle” and for the astonishing quality of the handiwork of the saddles that were manufactured in this building, the Visalia Stock Saddle Company’s other California locations are lost, leaving this site as the remaining best location to commemorate this significant California enterprise. The building survives with few alterations from its original design, and retains a high degree of architectural integrity." Funding was provided in part by a 2010 Preserve America grant to the City of San Francisco (grant number 06-10-AP-5034) for the Market and Octavia Historic Resource Preservation Project. The grant was administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Landmark Designation Report: New Era Hall, 2117-2123 Market Street (Draft)

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