Ordinance No. 0041-22

Ord. No. 0041-22

in effect

FILE NO. 220037 ORDINANCE NO. 41-22 [Planning Code - Landmark Designation - "Allegory of California," The City Club of San Francisco (formerly Pacific Stock Exchange Luncheon Club), 155 Sansome Street] Ordinance amending the Planning Code to designate the fresco, titled "Allegory of California," in the grand stairwell between 1 Oth and 11th floors of The City Club of San Francisco (former Pacific Stock Exchange Luncheon Club), within 155 Sansome Street, Assessor's Parcel Block No. 0268, Lot No. 001A, as a Landmark consistent with the standards set forth in Article 10 of the Planning Code; affirming the Planning Department's determination under the California Environmental Quality Act; and making public necessity, convenience, and welfare findings under Planning Code, Section 302, and findings of consistency with the General Plan, and the eight priority policies of Planning Code, Section 101.1. NOTE: Unchanged Code text and uncodified text are in plain Arial font. Additions to Codes are in single-underline italics Times New Roman font. Deletions to Codes are in strikethrough italics Times Ne1v Roman font. Board amendment additions are in double-underlined Arial font. Board amendment deletions are in strikethrough /\rial font. Asterisks (* * * *) indicate the omission of unchanged Code subsections or parts of tables. Be it ordained by the People of the City and County of San Francisco: Section 1. Findings. (a) CEQA and Land Use Findings. (1) The Planning Department has determined that the Planning Code amendment proposed in this ordinance is subject to a Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (California Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et seq., "CEQA") pursuant to Section 15308 of California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Sections 15000 et seq., the Guidelines for implementation of the statute for actions by regulatory agencies for protection of the environment (in this case, landmark designation). Said Supervisors Peskin; Melgar, Preston, Mandelman, Safai BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 1 determination is on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. 220037 and is incorporated herein by reference. The Board of Supervisors affirms this determination. (2) Pursuant to Planning Code Section 302, the Board of Supervisors finds that the proposed landmark designation of the fresco titled "Allegory of California" in the grand stairwell between the 1 Oth and 11th floors of The City Club of San Francisco (former Pacific Stock Exchange Luncheon Club), within 155 Sansome Street, Assessor's Parcel Block No. 0268, Lot No. 001A (the "Fresco"), will serve the public necessity, convenience, and welfare for the reasons set forth in Historic Preservation Commission Resolution No. 1211, recommending approval of the proposed designation, which is incorporated herein by 1 O reference. (3) The Board of Supervisors finds that the proposed landmark designation of the Fresco is consistent with the General Plan and with Planning Code Section 101.1 (b) for the reasons set forth in Historic Preservation Commission Resolution No. 1211. (b) General Findings. (1) On April 27, 2021, the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 187-21, initiating landmark designation of the Fresco as a San Francisco Landmark pursuant to Section 1004.1 of the Planning Code. On May 7, 2021, the Mayor approved the resolution. Said resolution is on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. 210352. (2) Pursuant to Charter Section 4.135, the Historic Preservation Commission has authority "to recommend approval, disapproval, or modification of landmark designations and historic district designations under the Planning Code to the Board of Supervisors." (3) The Landmark Designation Fact Sheet was prepared by Planning Department Preservation staff. All preparers meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards for historic preservation program staff, as set forth in Code of Federal Regulations Title 36, Part 61, Appendix A. The report was reviewed for accuracy and Supervisors Peskin; Melgar, Preston, Mandelman, Safai BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 2 conformance with the purposes and standards of Article 10 of the Planning Code. (4) The Historic Preservation Commission, at its regular meeting of November 3, 2021, reviewed Planning Department staff's analysis of the historical significance of the Fresco set forth in the Landmark Designation Fact Sheet dated October 27, 2021. (5) On November 3, 2021, after holding a public hearing on the proposed designation and having considered the specialized analyses prepared by Planning Department staff and the Landmark Designation Fact Sheet, the Historic Preservation Commission recommended designation of the Fresco as a landmark consistent with the standards set forth in Section 1004 of the Planning Code, by Resolution No. 1211. Said 1 O resolution is on file with the Clerk of the Board in File No. 220037. (6) The Board of Supervisors hereby finds that the Fresco has a special character and special historical, architectural, and aesthetic interest and value, and that its designation as a Landmark will further the purposes of and conform to the standards set forth in Article 10 of the Planning Code. In doing so, the Board hereby incorporates by reference the findings of the Landmark Designation Fact Sheet. (7) The Board further finds that the Fresco has been historically accessible to the general public. This access includes the following: (A) Through correspondence from its counsel contained in Board File No. 220037, The City Club states that the Club allows non-members to view the Fresco through small group, curator-led tours; events held in conjunction with organizations such as SF Heritage and the Art Deco Society; and invitations to art experts and academic groups; and (B) Historically, The City Club has from time to time maintained limited hours when members of the public could view the Fresco and other architecture and artwork inside the Club's facilities, including through self-guided tours, as evidenced by articles in SF Supervisors Peskin; Melgar, Preston, Mandelman, Safai BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 3 Weekly (2014) and USA Today (updated 2018) and on travel websites and biogs such as TripAdvisor.com, AtlasObscura.com, and Far & Wise (The Allegory of California by Diego Rivera in San Francisco (farandwise.com)); and (C) San Francisco City Guides, a non-profit organization offering volunteer-led walking tours of San Francisco, has operated guided tours of Art Deco architectural masterpieces of San Francisco, including 155 Sansome Street (Stock Exchange Tower) and the Fresco. These tours are generally free of charge; and (D) San Francisco City Guides and other local groups, including the San Francisco Historical Society and the Art Deco Society, have worked with The City Club to offer 1 O special tours of the Fresco for their members, usually with a small fee; and (E) The City Club rents out interior facilities, including the space in which the Fresco is located, for non-member events, and promotes the Fresco as a feature of its rental facilities; (F) The public was invited to view the Fresco during the grand unveiling on March 15, 1931 with said event reported in the San Francisco Chronicle; and (G) The San Francisco Wine & Food Society held a dinner honoring special California vintages at the Stock Exchange Luncheon Club on October 27, 1938. Section 2. Designation. Pursuant to Section 1004.3 of the Planning Code, the fresco titled "Allegory of California" in the grand stairwell between the 1 Oth and 11th floors of The City Club of San Francisco (former Pacific Stock Exchange Luncheon Club), within 155 Sansome Street, Assessor's Parcel Block No. 0268, Lot No. 001A, is hereby designated as a San Francisco Landmark consistent with the standards set forth in Section 1004. Appendix A to Article 10 of the Planning Code is hereby amended to include this property. Supervisors Peskin; Melgar, Preston, Mandelman, Safai BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 4 Section 3. Required Data. (a) The description, location, and boundary of the Landmark site consists of the fresco titled "Allegory of California" on the walls and ceiling of the grand stairwell between the 1 oth and 1 fh floors of The City Club of San Francisco (former Pacific Stock Exchange Luncheon Club), within the building on the City parcel located at 155 Sansome Street, Assessor's Block No. 0268, Lot No. 001A, in San Francisco's Financial District. (b) The characteristics of the Landmark that justify its designation are described and shown in the Landmark Designation Fact Sheet and other supporting materials contained in Planning Department Record Docket No. 2021-005992DES. In brief, the Fresco is eligible for 1 O local designation as it is associated with events that have made a culturally and historically significant contribution to the broad patterns of San Francisco history and it embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction and work of master artist Diego Rivera. Specifically, designation of the Fresco, which depicts classic themes and motifs found in Rivera compositions including harmony between nature and machine, a glorification of the past while looking toward the future, and a panorama of historical figures, is proper given its association with the preeminent Mexican artist, Diego Rivera. The Fresco, designed and painted on the walls and ceiling of an interior stairwell for the former Pacific Stock Exchange, reflects its immediate environment, physically and artistically, and is the first fresco by Rivera painted in the United States. The Fresco is also significant for its association with the Latinx and Chicanx arts communities, a significant and vibrant part of San Francisco's cultural heritage. (c) The particular features that should be preserved, or replaced in-kind as determined necessary, are those generally shown in photographs and described in the Landmark Designation Fact Sheet, which can be found in Planning Department Record Docket No. 2021-005992DES, and which are incorporated in this designation by reference as though fully Supervisors Peskin; Melgar, Preston, Mandelman, Safai BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 5 set forth. Specifically, all those physical and spatial features of the walls and ceiling where the Fresco is located associated with the structural support, construction, and visual depiction and expression of the Fresco should be preserved or replaced in-kind, including: (1) All metal and other furring channels that support the underlying wall behind the Fresco; (2) All metal lathe and plaster, including the scratch, brown, and other plaster coats that underlie the Fresco; (3) The combination of pigments and plaster that form the Fresco ; (4) The size, shape, form, and materials of the Fresco; and 1 O (5) The stairwell configuration, walls, and ceiling where the Fresco is located. Section 4. Effective Date. This ordinance shall become effective 30 days after enactment. Enactment occurs when the Mayor signs the ordinance, the Mayor returns the ordinance unsigned or does not sign the ordinance within ten days of receiving it, or the Board of Supervisors overrides the Mayor's veto of the ordinance. APPROVED AS TO FORM: DENNIS J. HERRERA, City Attorney By: /s/ Victoria Wong VICTORIA WONG Deputy City Attorney n:\legana\as2021 \1800206\01562548.docx Supervisors Peskin; Melgar, Preston, Mandelman, Safai BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 6 City and County of San Francisco Tails Ordinance City Hall 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, CA 94102-4689 File Number: 220037 Date Passed: March 08, 2022 Ordinance amending the Planning Code to designate the fresco, titled "Allegory of California," in the grand stairwell between 10th and 11th floors of The City Club of San Francisco (former Pacific Stock Exchange Luncheon Club), within 155 Sansome Street, Assessor's Parcel Block No. 0268, Lot No. 001 A, as a Landmark consistent with the standards set forth in Article 10 of the Planning Code; affirming the Planning Department's determination under the California Environmental Quality Act; and making public necessity, convenience, and welfare findings under Planning Code, Section 302, and findings of consistency with the General Plan, and the eight priority policies of Planning Code, Section 101.1. February 14, 2022 Land Use and Transportation Committee - RECOMMENDED March 01, 2022 Board of Supe"rvisors - PASSED ON FIRST READING Ayes: 11 - Chan, Haney, Mandelman, Mar, Melgar, Peskin, Preston, Ronen, Safai, Stefani and Walton March 08, 2022 Board of Supervisors - FINALLY PASSED Ayes: 11 - Chan, Haney, Mandelman, Mar, Melgar, Peskin, Preston, Ronen, Safai, Stefani and Walton File No. 220037 London N. Breed Mayor City and County of San Francisco Pagel I hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was FINALLY PASSED on 3/8/2022 by the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. Angela Calvillo Clerk of the Board Date Approved Printed at 9:13 am on 319122

References

amendsSec. 1015

Source: sf_ordinance_pdfURL: https://sfbos.archive.sf.gov/sites/default/files/o0041-22.pdfFetched: 7/4/2026