State Compensation Insurance Fund Time Capsule for April 25, 1960, 1921-1960, bulk 1958-1960

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Summary

Creators:
State Compensation Insurance Fund of California.
Abstract:
This collection is comprised of documents buried in a time capsule commemorating the dedication of a new State Compensation Insurance Fund building on April 25, 1960 at 525 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.
Extent:
1 box, 2 flat boxes (ca. 2.5 cubic ft.)
Language:
Collection materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], State Compensation Insurance Fund Time Capsule (SFH 53), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Documents buried in a time capsule commemorating the dedication of a new State Compensation Insurance Fund building on April 25, 1960 at 525 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. Besides documenting the planning and dedication of the new building, which was part of the San Francisco Civic Center Development Plan of the late 1950s, the collection also documents the formation of California workers' compensation laws and the establishment and workings of the State Compensation Insurance Fund of California. Materials include policy contracts, manuals, a telephone directory, photostat copies of legislative documents related to workers' compensation, a microfilm reel of working drawings, a program and newspapers from the day of the dedication, photographs of the Board of Directors and architects, and a copy of the Civic Center Development Plan for Oct. 1958. The time capsule was opened in 2009 by staff from the Department of Public Works.

Photostat copies are certified as true copies by accompanying cover sheets from the Department of State bearing signatures and the State Seal, dated March 10, 1959.

The time capsule was originally stored in a copper box labeled Box Number 82151-F in the cornerstone of the building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue.

Biographical / historical:

The State Compensation Insurance Fund was established in 1914 by the California Legislature as part of the passage of the Workmen's Compensation Insurance and Safety Act, also known as the Boynton Act. The statute created a compulsory, no-fault workers' compensation system in which employers are required to carry insurance to cover employees who are injured or become ill on the job. The Fund provides workers' compensation insurance to California employers at cost, in competition with private insurance carriers. It is the largest provider of workers' compensation insurance in California.

Since its founding, its home office has been in San Francisco, first located at 525 Market Street. A new building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue was dedicated on April 25, 1960, the day this time capsule commemorates. In 1977, the State Fund moved to a new 16-story home office building at 1275 Market Street, where it remains today. The building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue was torn down in 2009 to build a new Public Utilities Commission Building. It had sat empty since it was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Acquisition information:
Gift, San Francisco Department of Public Works, 5-21-09.
Processing information:

Items when received were housed in brown paper envelopes with typed labels. Items have been re-foldered, with labels retained in the file when they provide contextual information.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in three series: Series 1: State Compensation Insurance Fund records; Series 2: Legislative documents; and Series 3: Building documents.

Physical location:
Open for research. The collection is offsite and advance notice is required for retrieval. Material must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research and available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. Photographs are available during Photo Desk hours. This collection must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], State Compensation Insurance Fund Time Capsule (SFH 53), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Location of this collection:
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102, US
Contact:
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
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