I had been hoping to go check out San Francisco’s Aquatic Park Bathhouse for a few years; when I finally got there last August I was slightly disappointed to find the upper floor blocked off. But despite my disappointment, there was still a lot of fascinating items on display in this beautiful building, constructed in the mid 1930s. The Aquatic Park and the Maritime Museum are now part of San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Today’s images are only a few of the sights found inside and outside the structure. The streamlined style was the inspiration of architect William Mooser III. The lobby walls display the vision of art director Hilaire Hiler; African-American artist Sargent Claude Johnson carved the green slate on the main facade. And the granite and marble animal statues are the work of sculptor Benjamino Bufano.

Rounded, smooth, and sleek, this sculpture of a frog — and the seal nearby — are the distinctive work of Benjamino Bufano (1890-1970), a prolific San Francisco sculptor and public art advocate. The Federal Art Project commissioned Bufano to create 11 granite sculptures for Aquatic Park, but it is believed these two were installed by Opening Day, January 22, 1939. Like his colleagues, Bufano protested this building’s lease to a casino. He refused to place his sculptures in the park, stating: “This center, which was intended to be a public playground… has become a private restaurant enterprise… Action should be taken to restore Aquatic Park to the people” (San Francisco Chronicle, July 30, 1939). Today, many of the sculptures he intended for Aquatic Park are at Valencia Gardens in the Mission District.