Thursday, May 10, 2012

Marine Firemen





Early this morning I passed the venerable building that houses the Marine Firemen's Union. This was on 2nd Street south of Market. Over the front door the low-relief sculptural ornaments (above) could only date from the labor-heroic 1930s. Art Deco collides with Socialist Realism.

Best of all, the building is still occupied by the same organization that (apparently) built it: the Pacific Coast Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association, established in 1883 in San Francisco.