CARLOS LEONHAEUSER (American) A School Infirmary, c.1912

Ink and ink wash, 33 ½ x 21 1/2

Signed lower right

The San Francisco Architectural Club (SFAC) was founded in 1901 by draftsmen to help budding architects receive training in the informal Atelier Method where older experts taught the practical side of architecture to students who had no hope or wish to study Beaux-Arts in an established school abroad. Education of non-degreed architectural professionals were basic tenets from the club’s inception coming on the heels of legislation requiring state certification for architects.  The San Francisco Architectural Club Atelier program was one of the earliest accredited programs of study in the Bay Area. An annual seminar for those about to take the California state architectural certification examination was a popular and well-attended educational feature for many years.  Another of the club’s notable activities was the annual public loan exhibition meant not only to showcase the year’s most interesting architectural work but also to educate the public about traditions and new developments in architecture. This drawing was one of four exhibited by Leonhaeuser in 1914.  Other SFAC members familiar to those interested in the history of architecture in San Francisco include Applegarth, Bakewell, Faville, Frick, Pflueger, Polk, and Weihe.