People Walking Past the Old J. Paul Leonard Library

About This Item

Students make their way along the gently sloping walkway beside the old J. Paul Leonard Library, moving between patches of bright lawn and the cool shadow cast by the building’s tall concrete façade. The library’s exterior—defined by its grid of windows and deeply recessed vertical panels—reflects the practical, mid-century modernism that shaped much of the campus in the 1950s and 60s. Some students walk with books in hand, capturing a moment of everyday campus life unfolding in the shadow of one of San Francisco State’s most recognizable early academic buildings.

Identifier
TP-ATA-0674
Context

The Library first opened its doors in 1954. In 1976, the San Francisco State Library was renamed the J. Paul Leonard Library after the University’s fourth president. Leonard played a major role in expanding the university by opening the 19th and Holloway campus.

 

Credits: Some descriptions were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.

Geographic Coverage
San Francisco, CA
Type
Still Image
Format
35mm Slide
Source
San Francisco State University Archives
Rights
Public
Views
397

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