The Cesar Chavez Student Center (Updated two months ago)

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

The striking geometric tiers of the Cesar Chavez Student Center rise like a sculpted landscape, exemplifying the bold architectural vision that reshaped the SF State campus in the 1970s. Designed by Paffard Keatinge-Clay with direct student input, the building was conceived as an “iceberg” composed of two pyramids—one oriented toward quiet reflection, the other toward lively public activity. This photograph captures the upper structure of the west-facing pyramid, its stepped form and sharp lines revealing the center’s intention to promote gathering while subtly diffusing the political tensions that had marked the campus in the late 1960s. Completed in 1975, the center stands as one of SF State’s most iconic and philosophically expressive buildings.

Tags: student union scenes - building

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

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Information

  • Identifier: TP-ATA-0593
  • Context: <p>A signature building of the San Francisco State campus is the Cesar Chavez Student 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 center 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." The building was completed in 1975.<br /><br />HUD suspended construction of the Student Union Towers demanding access for the disabled. Source: Zenger&rsquo;s (Jan. 29, 1975): 3.</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>
  • Geographic Coverage: San Francisco, CA
  • Type: Still Image
  • Format: 35mm Slide
  • Source: San Francisco State University Archives
  • Rights: Public

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