PCAD - State of California, State Building, Civic Center, San Francisco, CA

AKA: State of California, Supreme Court Building, Civic Center, San Francisco, CA; State of California, Warren, Earl, Building, Civic Center, San Francisco, CA

Aerial view of the Earl Warren Building (foreground) within the Ronald M. George State Office Complex, San Francisco, CA, n.d. From a Visitor's Guide to the Supreme Court of California, n.d., accessed via www4.courts.ca.gov/documents/visguide.pdf, accessed 04/01/2026

Interior view of the Supreme Court chamber with The Commonwealth, a painting by Arthur Mathews above, San Francisco, CA, c. 1930. The caption indicated that the painting was lit using "diffused illumination from X-Ray reflectors in cornice recesses." From The Lighting Book, J.L. Stair, ed., [Chicago, IL: Curtis Lighting, Incorporated, 1930], p. 139

Satellite view of the Earl Warren Building within the Ronald M. George State Office Complex, San Francisco, CA, c. 2026. From Google Maps/Street View, accessed 04/01/2026

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350 McAllister Street
Civic Center, San Francisco, CA 94102

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Building History

The State of California Architect George B. McDougall (1868-1957) designed this state office building that opened for use in 1923. It served as a component building in the larger Beaux-Arts plan (completed by 1916) of the San Francisco Civic Center, consisting of local, state and federal office buildings and cultural facilities.

Alteration

The Loma Prieta Earthquake of 10/17/1989 caused significant structural damage to the Warren Building, necessitating that the State of CA Supreme Court use other facilities for hearings between 10/1989 and 01/1999. The Supreme Court Building was connected to the much larger

PCAD id: 25959

State of California, State Building, Civic Center, San Francisco, CA (1922)