Rincon Center and Anton Refregier Historic WPA Murals: The Epic History

Why is it significant?

Step through the bronze doors of Rincon Center at Spear and Mission Streets, entering the grand Streamline Art Deco lobby of the former Rincon Annex Post Office.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step through the bronze doors of Rincon Center at Spear and Mission Streets, entering the grand Streamline Art Deco lobby of the former Rincon Annex Post Office. Completed in 1940 by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, this monumental building is celebrated across the world for housing the 'History of California' mural cycle, one of the greatest and most controversial public art projects created under the New Deal. Russian-born artist Anton Refregier won a nationwide competition in 1941 to paint twenty-seven monumental fresco panels directly into wet lime plaster across the lobby walls.

Walk slowly along the lobby perimeter to follow the chronological fresco narrative. Refregier rejected romanticized pioneer myths, presenting an unvarnished, historically honest panorama of California history. You will see native Ohlone life before colonization, the brutal mistreatment of indigenous neophytes in the Spanish missions, the Gold Rush rush for wealth, the brutal exploitation of Chinese laborers building the transcontinental railroad, anti-Asian riots, and the heroic 1934 San Francisco General Strike.

The murals provoked explosive political backlash during the McCarthy era. In 1953, conservative congressmen held federal hearings in Washington demanding that the murals be scraped from the walls, alleging they depicted historical figures as 'un-American' and subversive. A passionate coalition of San Francisco labor unions, artists, and civic leaders rallied in defense of the art, saving the frescoes from destruction. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every architectural ornament and public garden serves as a living testament to the neighborhood's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and community empowerment. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every architectural ornament and public garden serves as a living testament to the neighborhood's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and community empowerment.

Look up at the soaring modern skylit atrium beyond the historic lobby, where an eighty-five-foot continuous water column, 'Water Wall' by Richard Haas, drops shimmering droplets into a granite reflecting pool.

Walk north along Spear Street to Market Street, turning toward the open expanse of Embarcadero Plaza.