George Washington High School - Surveyor Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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THE PAST TEN YEARS IN REVIEW From Rock Quarry To Shining Glory

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Dedicafion This is 'rhe Jrenlh anniversary of George Washinglon High School, and so if seemed appropriale 'rhal we who worked on 'rhe iournal should choose a pasl, presenl, and lulure lheme for 'rhis June, l947, edilion. For len years lhe archifeclural charm of George Wash- inglon High School has added grace and beauly lo lhe Rich- mond Dislricl and 'rhe cily of San Francisco. The school is slill young, buf i'rs policies and leadership have already been eslab- lished, and ils fradilions are conslanlly growing. ll's sludenls and graduales are oulslanding, and lulure Washinglonians will always keep alive lhal figh+ on, you Eagles spiri'r of good sporlsmanship. ln accordance wilh lhe foregoing facls, we hereby dedi- care 'rhis SU RVEYOR lo everyone, pasl, presenl, and lulure, who has had or will have a share in 'rhe honor and glory of George Washinglon l-ligh School.

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Air Phofo of Washingfon High School - 1936 shows Shops and Academic Unif. THE BACKGROUND OF GEORGE WASHINGTON The foresighf of San Francisco pioneers is reflecfed in fhe fofal invesfmenf for a secfion of fhe George Washingfon High School sife, as far back as I86I, when I50 x 240 feef was sef aside for school purposes under fhe provisions of fhe oufside lands acf. Ouf of fhis nucleus fhe remainder of fhe sife was purchased by fhe Board of Educafion in l925. The above paragraph, an excerpf from a program of fhe Ground Brealzing Exercises which fool: place November 4, I934, af 3lsf Ave- nue and Anza Sfreef, shows fhaf our school was considered, planned for, baclr in 'fhe days when fhe Richmond disfricf was sand dunes, when George Washingfon High School was a roclr quarry. l86l-cable cars lor fheir forerunnersl were pulled by horses, gold sfrilces were common occurrences, clipper ships sailed fhe Pacific, and San Fran- ciscans of fhaf day had fhe vision fo provide for schools. and especially for one parficular school, locafed af whaf is now 32nd Avenue and Anza Sfreef. Sevenfy-five years lafer, in I936, financed parfly by a bond issue, parfly by fhe Federal Governmenf, Washingfon High School was erecfed af a cosf of approximafely S2,000,000. To relieve congesfion in San Francisco's seven senior high schools was fhe main purpose of fhe new school. Alfhough our presenf enroll- menf is only I,740, if was originally planned fha? Washingfon would provide facilifies for 3,000 pupils. agwaaca Soufhwesi Wing - March 18, 1935 THE FOUNDING OF GEORGE WASHINGTON. A comparafively small arficle appeared in fhe news- papers of fhis cify on Augusf 24, I936, proclaiming fhe opening of George Washingfon High School. Alfhough a parf of fhe five-million dollar educa- fional plan fo build schools from I930 fo I940, Washingfon was permiffed fo sfand idle for fhe firsf six monfhs of I936 because of a furnifure shorfage. GENERAL PLANS, ARCHITECTURE, SCULPTURE. The general plans for Washingfon called for a main academic unif, shops, an audiforium, boys' and girls' gymnasiums, foofball field, oufdoor fennis and baslcef- ball courfs, a music conservafory, a baseball field, a running fraclr and a swimming pool. Timofhy L. Pflueger, archifecf of George Wash- ingfon High School, died almosf fen years fo fhe day fha? Washingfon celebrafed ifs fenfh anniver- sary. Mr, Pflueger was world-famous in his field, having worlred on fhe San Francisco-Oalrland Bay Bridge, and many of fhe buildings of fhe Golden Gafe lnfernafional Exposifion of I939. Union Square Garage was designed by Mr. Pflueger in l942g Alamo and Jefferson grammar schools, and Roosevelf Junior High School were complefed by him before I930. His lafer proiecfs were George Washingfon, Ihen Lincoln High School, and fhe science building and gymnasium af San Francisco Junior College. Mr. Beniamino Bufano was originally hired fo do fhe frieze locafed on fhe wall of fhe foofball sfa- dium, buf fhe worlr was finished by Sargenf Johnson. The ideas of bofh arfisfs are incorporafed in fhe worlr. Pouring filsf floor slab-Norfhwesf Wing-March 18, 1935 MURALS. Over I,30O square feef of murals, scenes de- picfing phases in fhe life of George Washingfon, cover fhe walls of fhe lobby. Vicfor Arnauloff, painfer of fhese murals, did much research before sfarfing fhe worlr fo gef fhe color and feeling of George Washingfon and fhe days in which he lived. The murals are done in whaf fhe arfisfs call earfh colors, which are made from oxides. For insfance, green is made from chrome, red from iron, and blaclr from coal. The base of murals is lime, a very ancienf mefhod of mural worlr. George Harris and Gorden Langdon were fhe arfisfs who assisfed Mr. Arnaufofl. Since murals have fo be painfed on a wel surface, Mr. Arnaufoff had fo follow righf behind fhe plaslerers, and a scene, once begun, had fo be com- plefed fhaf same day, in order fhaf fhe walls did nof dry. Carpenfers and plasferers worked all around fhe building,