Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Landmark Designation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs landmarking of Third Baptist Church; moves item to full Board
Summary
The Land Use & Transportation Committee advanced landmark designation for Third Baptist Church at 1399 McAllister, citing the building’s civil-rights associations and mid-century modern architecture; the committee sent the item to the full Board with a unanimous positive recommendation.
The San Francisco Land Use & Transportation Committee on Oct. 23 moved a landmark designation for Third Baptist Church (1399 McAllister Street) to the full Board with a unanimous positive recommendation.
Planning Department staff briefed the committee on the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) review: the property was added to HPC’s landmark work program on Aug. 17, 2016 as part of the San Francisco Sites of Civil Rights Project and the HPC unanimously recommended landmark designation on Aug. 16, 2017. Staff cited the building’s associations with Reverend Frederick Douglass Haines (pastor 1932–1971), the congregation’s continuous social-justice activism, and the complex’s architectural significance as a notable example of mid-century modern ecclesiastical design.
Reverend Brown and numerous congregation members and supporters addressed the committee during public comment, recounting the church’s history (which participants traced to 1852), notable visits and events (W.E.B. Du Bois’ 90th birthday in 1958, Paul Robeson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and the congregation’s preservation efforts. No public opposition was reported during the hearing.
Supervisor Peskin and others spoke in support, and the committee voted to send the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation to be finalized at the Board meeting, per committee procedure.
