The first women-owned, multi-tenant nonprofit center in the nation celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The Women's Building in San Francisco, perhaps best known for the mural Maestrapeace that graces its exterior, is a multi-service community center committed to providing women and girls the tools and resources they need to achieve full and equal participation in society. It is home for over eleven organizations including the Bay Area Girls Center, Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, Mission Neighborhood Centers Inc. Head Start Child Development Center, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, San Francisco Women Against Rape, and Purple Moon Dance Project.

Against financial odds, The Women's Building was purchased from the Sons of Norway in 1979, by a group of visionary women from San Francisco Women's Centers (SFWC), an organization that incubated emerging women's projects in the Bay Area. The building remained relatively unchanged until 1992, when the City of San Francisco declared it "high risk" and "unsafe" due to damage from the Loma Prieta earthquake. In 1993, a committee was formed and conversations to not only retrofit, but also completely renovate the building began. The Committee, consisting of staff and board members, conducted focus groups to determine the needs and desires of the Building's tenants. After working with developers and designers to meet their needs, they launched "Reinforce the Dream," a $5.9 million seismic retrofit and renovation project in June of 1998. The project was financed by a combination of funds and loans from FEMA, the City of San Francisco, and from foundations, corporations and individuals. An additional source of funds was rental revenue. Amazingly, the Building remained open for service throughout the retrofit and renovation. Although it enabled tenants to continue to deliver services, it also created tremendous complications, not the least of which battling the constant noise and dust.

Both Teresa Mejia, Executive Director, and Noemi Zulberti, Facilities Director for the Women's Building mentioned staying focused on the project's vision and goal-serving as a better resource for grassroots community development and adapting more readily to the changing needs of women and girls-as key factors to its success. Like their predecessors who purchased the building, both Teresa and Noemi felt the completion of the renovation occurred "against all odds." At one point, a creek was discovered under the building, requiring the foundation to be completely reworked. It increased the cost of the renovation dramatically at a time when Teresa and Noemi were already financially stretched.

The renovation was completed in 2000, and by 2002, the Women's Building's activities had increased. Within two years they received over 2000 visitors to their Community Resource Center, hosted nearly 500 community organizations in their meeting rooms and conference facilities, delivered childcare to over 1,500 children in their drop-in childcare center, and held over 500 events. They did all this while also providing information and referrals to thousands. They estimate roughly 50,000 people came through the building during the two-year period.

For its tenants, the Women's Building has created an environment where collaboration occurs naturally. The Building's below market rent also enables tenants to direct more of their resources toward services. In addition, the Women's Building has become a vibrant and highly visible symbol for social change and tenants have benefited from this as well as its strong relationship with the Mission Neighborhood it inhabits. For more information on the Women's Building contact, 415.431.1180, or visit www.womensbuilding.org.