2007 marks the 150th Anniversary of the American Institute of Architects. A brief look at the timeline below reveals how integral our members have been in shaping San Francisco’s architectural past, present, and future. For more information on the national celebrations associated with AIA150, visit www.aia150.org.

1881    Founding of the Pacific Coast Association of Architects, an association of well-known and respected San Francisco architects.

1912    Competition for a new city hall in San Francisco.

1915    Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

1927    San Francisco Chapter renamed the Northern California Chapter.

1938    Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island.

1953    First Honor Awards program held in the Garden Court of the Palace Hotel.

1990    Shaped urban design policies and decisions that led to the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway.

1993    Assisted with plans to convert the Presidio to a National Park.

1996    Small Firms, Great Projects initiated.

2003    Created first-ever San Francisco Living: Home Tours Weekend.

2004    Created first-ever Architecture and the City series.

2006    Center for Architecture + Design opens.

2007    AIA celebrates 150 years of success as an organization.