Let the Record Show: UC Law SF Breaks Ground on Urban Campus in 1950

A photograph of a 1950 groundbreaking ceremony for the old 198 McAllister St. building shows four men holding shovels, including the unnamed president of UC Hastings student government body, California First District Court of Appeals Justice and 1910 UC Hastings graduate A. Frank Bray, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Phil S. Gibson, and then UC Hastings Dean David Snodgrass.

UC Law San Francisco broke ground on what would become its first permanent home at 198 McAllister St. on Nov. 30, 1950. The five-story, $1.75 million structure was completed in 1953, marking a new chapter for the College and ending its “nomadic existence” when classes were held in temporary locations across the city, including in San Francisco City Hall and the California Academy of Sciences.

Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of UC Law San Francisco’s first permanent building and mark the College’s 75th anniversary during a ceremony on March 26, 1953.

The building’s grand opening on March 26, 1953, coincided with a “Diamond Jubilee’ to mark the College’s 75th anniversary. Hundreds of people gathered to witness the milestone, including prominent figures like California Governor Earl Warren and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Phil S. Gibson.

Charles B. Nutting, president of the American Association of Law Schools, made a prediction about the future of legal education during the ceremony, noting the trend toward specialization in the legal field.

“Although we still tend to think of the general practitioner, of whom the country lawyer is a prototype, as being typical of our calling, it is quite evident that he is passing from the scene just as the family doctor is vanishing into the realm of legend … It may well be that in future years we shall see curricula (in the law schools) which will make it possible for lawyers to recognize specialties as do physicians,” Nutting said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Today’s UC Law SF students can choose among a dozen concentrations to focus on, including environmental law, health law, and business law, to name a few.

The new building solidified UC Law SF’s place in the heart of San Francisco, allowing it to grow into the larger urban campus that exists today. In 2000, the building was renovated and renamed Snodgrass Hall in honor of Dean David Snodgrass, who tirelessly advocated for what was then called UC Hastings to establish a permanent home in the city.

The building was torn down in 2020 to make way for the new 198 McAllister St. building, a 14-story structure that was completed last year and now provides housing for 656 students. The new building is part of the UC Law SF’s growing Academic Village, a living and learning community for students studying business, law, medicine, and other disciplines at various higher learning institutions.

Let the Record Show is an occasional series that showcases people, moments, and milestones from UC Law San Francisco’s past.