Students Entering the César Chávez Student Center (Updated last month)

You can view this bundle in the SFSU Over the Years collection area.

Students walk toward the entrance of the César Chávez Student Center at San Francisco State University. A marquee in the window advertises “Barbary Coast 4 & 7 PM,” referencing the student-run film program that regularly screened movies on campus. The building’s bold geometric facade—concrete surfaces accented by a large blue triangular panel—reflects the modernist architectural style of the era. To the left, part of a storefront awning suggests the commercial and social spaces housed within the center, which served as a hub for student activity, dining, film screenings, meetings, and cultural events.

Tags: students and alumni , student union scenes

Added to SFSU Over the Years on July 31, 2026.

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Information

  • Identifier: TP-ATA-0501
  • Context: <p>A signature building of the San Francisco State campus is the Cesar Chavez Student&nbsp;Center. The unique design was one of seven proposals which students had voted on in 1966. Originally, the proposal of Canadian Architect Moshe Safdie had won the student vote. The administration dismissed his design following the 1968 Student Strikes and welcomed back the other finalists to design a student&nbsp;center&nbsp;that could be &ldquo;a place that facilitated student gathering but not student uprising," described in architect Paffard Keatinge-Clay&rsquo;s biography. The final design was created by Paffard Keatinge-Clay in collaboration with student input through the form of a class. Together they designed an &ldquo;iceberg&rdquo; building with two pyramids. &ldquo;The pyramid of silence is aligned with the axis of the north star, and faces northeast for &ldquo;quiet, introspective activities; while the second pyramid faces west&rdquo; and is intended for more &ldquo;boisterous, public activities."&nbsp;The building was completed in 1975.</p> <p>The C&eacute;sar Ch&aacute;vez Student Center became a focal point of campus life in the late 1960s and 1970s. Programs such as <em data-start="1052" data-end="1067">Barbary Coast</em> brought independent and international films to students, reinforcing the university&rsquo;s growing emphasis on cultural engagement and social awareness.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Credits:</strong>&nbsp;Some descriptions were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
  • Geographic Coverage: San Francisco, CA
  • Type: Still Image
  • Format: 35mm Slide
  • Source: San Francisco State University Archives
  • Rights: Public

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