
Somewhere in This Model Is Your San Francisco
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$1,010 raised of
14 donations
Somewhere in this model is your San Francisco.
What if you could find your own block inside one of San Francisco's greatest hidden treasures?
Between 1938 and 1940, more than 300 workers employed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an extraordinary scale model of San Francisco.
Designed by renowned architect Timothy Pflueger, the model recreated the entire city by hand, capturing every neighborhood, every block, and thousands of individual buildings in remarkable detail.
Then it disappeared.
For generations, few people even knew it still existed.
Today, this extraordinary piece of San Francisco history is finally returning to public view at Art + Water on Pier 29.
But we need your help to bring it to life.
A Time Capsule of San Francisco
The model captures San Francisco just before World War II.
You can see neighborhoods before freeways, development, and decades of change reshaped the city.
In many ways, it is a snapshot of a San Francisco that no longer exists.
It is also one of the largest and most remarkable surviving civic artworks created through the New Deal era.
Find Your Place in the Model
What makes this project special is that the model isn't just a model of San Francisco.
It's a model of your San Francisco.
Every neighborhood is represented.
Every block is represented.
Thousands of homes, businesses, schools, parks, and landmarks are represented.
Somewhere in this model is your story.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Your contribution will help fund:
• Exhibition buildout and installation
• Educational programming with City College of San Francisco
• Multimedia interpretation and storytelling
• Public access and visitor experience
Help Bring This Treasure Home to Pier 29, Art + Water
After decades in storage and years of advocacy by volunteers, educators, preservationists, and community supporters, the San Francisco Scale Model has a chance to inspire a new generation.
Whether you're a lifelong San Franciscan, a former resident, or simply someone who loves this city, we invite you to become part of the story.
Help us bring this remarkable New Deal treasure back to public view.
And find your place in the model.
No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.
Organizer
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Beneficiary





