Native Sons of the Golden West

 Posted by on September 2, 2014
Sep 022014
 

414 Mason Street
Union Square

Native Sons of the Golden West Building in San Francisco

The Native Sons of the Golden West Building on Mason street is an eight story, steel frame structure, with a highly ornamented façade of granite, terra cotta and brick.

Men of California History

Around the two main entrances to the building are placed medallions of men associated with the discovery and settlement of California. They are (starting at the bottom and moving up and to the right): Cabrillo, General John A. Sutter, Admiral John Drake Sloat, Peter Burnett, General A. M. Winn,  James W. Marshall,  John C. Fremont and Father Junipero Serra. These were sculpted by Jo Mora, who has been in this site many times before.

 

Men in California History

In the front of the building at the second floor are  six terra cotta panels, the work of Domingo Mora and his son, Jo. The scenes are:  “The Discovery of California”; “Civilization”; “The Raising of the Bear Flag”; “The Raising of the American Flag”; “The Pioneers”; “The Discovery of Gold.”

Civilization on the NSGW Building

*Jo Mora on the Native Sons of the Golden West Building

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Jo Mora sculptures

 

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Epochs in Pioneer History

 

Sadly, due to the awning on the building it is impossible to see all 6 of the panels.  I was unable to find photos of the other two anywhere, to share with you. This is the best I could do, by blowing up a photo I took from across the street.

The third Floor is marked by a line of the symbol of the State of California, the Golden Bear.

Golden Bears by Jo Mora on the NSGW Building in San Francisco
The California Bear and the Phoenix, the symbol of San Francisco, also grace the front of the building.

Pheonix the Symbol of San Francisco*

California Golden Bear on the NSGW Building in San Francisco
The Association purchased the lot from the Congregation Ohabai Shalome, for $42,500. The original Native Sons of the Golden West building built in 1895, burned down in the 1906 Fire and Earthquake.

The cost of the new building ws approximately $210,000.00

The architects of the new building were August Goonie Headman, Persio Righetti  and E. H. Hildebrand, of Righetti and Headman, a firm that operated for 5 years during the post Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

The Contractor was  P.J. Walker and Associates and the foreman on the job was Mr. J.S. Fifield.
Cornerstone of the NSGW Building in San FranciscoThe corner stone of the new building was laid February 22, 1911. It is the old corner stone saved from the fire with a new stone covering it.

Golden Gate Park – Doughboy

 Posted by on March 6, 2012
Mar 062012
 
Golden Gate Park
JFK Drive

 


Heroes Redwood Grove

This grove is dedicated to the memory of the members of the San Francisco Parlors, Native sons of the Golden West who gave their lives in the World’s War I and II.

The meadow adjacent to this grove and the Doughboy Statue with laurel wreath are easy to notice while passing by on JFK Drive, but the redwood grove itself is visited less often. The trees were planted in 1930 in honor of war casualties, and have since grown enough to create a dense, shady grove.

The sculpture was by M. Earl Cummings – whose work is seen throughout the park – it is bronze and originally created in 1928 for the Pan Pacific International Exposition. It was acquired by popular subscription, for $6,000, through the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West and installed in the park in 1930.

A side note:  The term “doughboy: was in use in the 1840s. The origins are unclear. The most often cited explanation is that it arose during the Mexican–American War, after observers noticed U.S. infantry forces were constantly covered with chalky dust from marching through the dry terrain of northern Mexico, giving the men the appearance of unbaked dough. Another suggestion is that doughboys were so named because of their method of cooking field rations of the 1840s and 1850s, usually doughy flour and rice concoctions baked in the ashes of a camp fire, although this does not explain why only infantryman received the appellation. Still another explanation involves pipe clay, a substance with the appearance of dough used by pre-Civil War soldiers to clean their white garrison belts. The uniforms that were worn by American soldiers in the World War I era had very large buttons. The soldiers from allied nations suggested that the Americans were dressed like “Gingerbread Men” and then began to refer to the Americans as The Doughboys.

 

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