Vintage Cars in a Campus Parking Structure, SFSU Lake Merced Campus, c. 1961–1963 (Updated two months ago)

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

Vintage automobiles are parked in a covered parking structure at San Francisco State College’s Lake Merced campus. The row includes a mix of European sports cars and American sedans, reflecting mid-century automotive design typical of the early 1960s. c. 1961–1963.

Tags: sf state buildings and architecture

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

Related Items

Hensill Hall and the Walkway Connecting to Thornton Hall Psychology Building Under Construction Seen from a Distance Cox Stadium, San Francisco State University SF State College Tennis Courts after Repair, Haight & Buchanan Streets — February 24, 1955 SF State College 1952 Old Site at Haight and Buchanan Streets

Information

  • Identifier: TP-ATA-1798
  • Date: c. 1961 - 1963
  • Context: <p>Parking structures such as this were developed alongside the Lake Merced campus to accommodate increasing automobile use among students, faculty, and staff. The variety of vehicles shown reflects both everyday campus life and the prominence of car culture in early 1960s California. The structure itself remains largely unchanged today.</p> <p data-start="1092" data-end="1140"><strong data-start="1092" data-end="1138">Automobiles (approximate identifications):</strong></p> <ul data-start="1141" data-end="1399"> <li data-section-id="1j3ypcp" data-start="1141" data-end="1200">Foreground (left): Triumph TR3A roadster (c. 1957&ndash;1962)</li> <li data-section-id="lsjklc" data-start="1201" data-end="1253">Next vehicle: Mercedes-Benz 190SL (c. 1955&ndash;1963)</li> <li data-section-id="ldhohw" data-start="1254" data-end="1318">Third vehicle (two-tone coupe): likely 1961 Chevrolet Impala</li> <li data-section-id="18nylci" data-start="1319" data-end="1399">Additional vehicles: consistent with late 1950s&ndash;early 1960s American designs</li> </ul> <p data-start="1401" data-end="1420"><strong data-start="1401" data-end="1418">Architecture:</strong></p> <ul data-start="1421" data-end="1540"> <li data-section-id="1nn45nf" data-start="1421" data-end="1462">Reinforced concrete parking structure</li> <li data-section-id="lo60jx" data-start="1463" data-end="1540">Low ceiling with exposed beams typical of mid-century campus construction</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Credits:</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>Some technical descriptions and historical interpretations were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.</p>
  • Geographic Coverage: San Francisco, CA
  • Temporal Coverage: 1961 - 1963
  • Type: Still Image
  • Format: Negative
  • Source: San Francisco State University Archives
  • Rights: Public

Content

Statistics

  • Views: 308 (46 for this version)

Version history

Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team two months ago
Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team five months ago
Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team six months ago
Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team six months ago
Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team a year ago
There have been 20 versions of this bundle.