City College Centers: Then and Now

City College began classes in 1935, and it was immediately clear that a permanent campus was needed as courses were held in temporary locations throughout the city, such as Galileo High School, while the administration and students alike scoured the city for a suitable site for a central campus. 

What was then part of Balboa Park ended up the winner, and Ocean Campus was opened in 1940 after a successful bond measure. It grew at a feverish pace after World War II as it was the sole location for City College courses, adding numerous buildings across campus from 1950 to 1970 and beyond. 

In 1970, the college was forced to separate from the San Francisco Unified School District in compliance with state laws, becoming its own district. Louis F. Batmale was appointed as the first Chancellor of the Community College District.

Batmale described centers as “Unique post-secondary schools for adults, which feature open enrollment, short-term training, no tuition charges, no advance registration, availability of classes for credit, and year-round instruction offered days, nights, and Saturdays.” 

Over the following 30 years, City College classes sprang up across the city, growing to 12 centers by 2008. But just as Batmale’s program got to its peak, it began its slow decline. Between 2015 and 2026, City College has shuttered six of these campuses, with closures attributed to money, space and a decline in the student body that was exacerbated by COVID-19.

1. Ocean 

Opened: 1940

Departments: A wide range of disciplines

Ocean was City College's first campus, established in 1940 with Science Hall. Built as a central location, it grew slowly at first, then expanded quickly in the 1960s and '70s to meet a growing student body. Ocean has remained the college's main campus since.

2. John Adams

Opened: 1971

Departments/Classes: Health Care, Nursing, Fire Science

What is now John Adams Center initially opened in 1911, housing Lowell High School for 51 years before it moved to its current site in 1962. In 1971, City College took over to provide adult education, nursing and healthcare classes, taking on the Fire Science program upon the Airport Center’s closure in 2020.

3. Alemany/Civic/750 Eddy

Opened: 1970s

Closed: 2020

Departments: English as a Second Language (ESL) 

First called Alemany when it opened, later renamed Civic Center and eventually known as 750 Eddy, this former elementary school in the Tenderloin provided ESL classes for nearly 45 years. It was closed in 2015 for renovations that included a seismic retrofit and remodel, with classes moving first to the Gough administrative offices and then to a temporary site on Market. The renovations never came to pass, and the center closed in 2020 when the college ended its lease on the building.

4. Fort Mason

Opened: 1975

Closed: 2020

Departments: Art, Printmaking

Fort Mason Center was opened following a “special lease agreement” by the Golden Gate Recreation Area and the Community College District in 1975. This center was the partial home of the Art Department, offering classes on sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking and ceramics. However, 2020 spelled the end for this center as it did for many others, with the Board of Trustees declining to renew the lease on the building amid attempts to mitigate what was at the time a projected budget deficit and loss of state funds.

5. Galileo High School

CCSF Opening: 1935

CCSF Departure: 1940

Galileo High School was one of the many places around the city that held courses before an actual campus was established. After its opening, City College quickly realized the immense need for a campus of its own.

6. Chinatown/North Beach

Opened: 2012

Departments: Citizenship, Anthropology, GIS, ESL

The Chinatown/North Beach Center has a pretty close history to Mission, with classes here and there throughout the neighborhood for years. Finally completed in 2012, City College’s newest center features a bevy of courses, from anthropology to mathematics.

7. Downtown

Opened: 1979

Departments: Culinary Arts, ESL

Downtown Center was completed in 1979, offering around 300 classes that first semester. After nearly 50 years at this site, it was announced that the campus would be closed, a move that seemingly blindsided the Educated Palate, the popular bakery on the bottom floor, and the other culinary classes, as well as ESL courses being taught here.

8. Gough

Opened: 1970

Closed: 2016

Established as administrative offices for the college, 33 Gough St. played that role for 45 years. In a similar story to Alemany, the building was closed in 2015 due to seismic concerns and the fact that City College was cash-strapped, with the site eventually sold to real estate developers in 2016. As of 2026, the site has become a homeless shelter. 

9. Mission

Opened: 2008

Departments: A wide range of programs

After years of classes scattered throughout the neighborhood, the Mission Center opened in 2008 to much fanfare. While classes had been offered piecemeal at locations such as Everett Middle School, the new and improved building served to pull these previously scattered courses together. The center is home to several departments and courses.

10. Southeast

Opened: 1986

Closed: 2023

Departments: Fashion, Nursing, ESL

Constructed as a community mitigation facility, the College began instruction there in 1986, offering a wide range of classes that included “Bridge to Biotech” and Career Internship programs, along with Fashion and Nursing programs. The curse that is seismic viability struck again, although this time it was San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that forced the shuttering, ordering all faculty and staff to vacate the premises on a day’s notice. According to PUC, repairs would cost more than the value of the building, essentially totaling the center.

11. Evans

Opened: 1994

Departments: Automotive, Construction, Custodial, Maker Sphere

Evans Center is home to City College’s School of Applied Science and Technology, with classes on motorcycle and auto repair, construction, and custodial jobs, as well as workshops covering a wide array of topics. When the Southeast Center closed, the Evans Center took on many of its former classes.

12. Airport/SFO

Opened: 1970 

Hangar: 1976

Closed: 2020

Departments: Aeronautics

The Airport Center initially began its life in 1970 at the former Pan-Am Terminal at SFO, before moving to its permanent home, a large hangar which housed classrooms, a shop area and an audiovisual center, in 1977. What made this center incredibly unique was the two helicopters, three small planes and a Boeing-747 that City College owned, giving students the ability to operate on and examine “the real thing.” 2020 would also spell the end for this center, as SFO refused to renew its lease on the building.