California Hall

California Hall was originally built in 1912 as the Deutsches Haus, a gathering place for San Francisco's German immigrant community. The building was designed by architect Frederick H. Meyer in the German Baroque style, serving as a social hub that included a bowling alley, lodge rooms, and a large auditorium. If you look closely above the original entrance doors, you can still see the initials for the German House Association carved into the stone. Following the entry of the United States into World War I, the association felt pressure to distance itself from its roots and officially changed the building's name to California Hall in 1918.