Beach Chalet
Historic site · Golden Gate Park, California
A stucco Spanish-Moorish revival pavilion at 1000 Great Highway, at the west end of the park, with a visitor center on the ground floor and a restaurant above. Its interior carries the fresco People and Places of San Francisco by Lucien Labaudt, 1936, made for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, along with mosaics and wood carvings. San Francisco Landmark No. 179, designated in 1985; listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 22 July 1981, reference number 81000172.
History
The building of 1925 is the second structure of that name on the Great Highway; the first Beach Chalet was built in 1900 on the west side of the Great Highway and was removed in 1925. It was designed by Willis Polk. The upper floor housed a restaurant and the lower floor a public lounge and changing rooms for visitors to the beach. The interior was significantly enhanced in 1936 and 1937 with the addition of frescoes, mosaics and wood carvings designed by the San Francisco artist Lucien Labaudt. The building was used by the Army during the Second World War. The city closed it for renovations in 1981; the artwork underwent a restoration in 1987, and the building remained closed to the public until December 1996, when it reopened with a restaurant on the second floor and a visitor center on the ground floor.
Visit
1000 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94121
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