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#REDIRECT [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]]
'''Alfred Finnila''' (1913-2001) was an American civil engineer, born and raised in [[San Francisco]], [[California]] in [[USA]].


{{R from person}}
==Roots and early life==


{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnila, Alfred}}
In 1902, Alfred Finnila's father Matti Finnila (Finnish spelling: Finnilä) immigrated from [[Kalajoki]], [[Finland]] to [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], sponsored by his brother, who owned a baking oven manufacturing business in [[Los Angeles]]. Matti's brother wrote a book called ''Moneyless Society''. In Los Angeles, Matti Finnila attended classes to learn English and to learn the skill of bricklaying. The 1906, the San Francisco earthquake inspired Matti Finnila to move to San Francisco, to help rebuild the city.<ref name=Lutheran>[http://www.allwelcomelutheran.org/about ''Lutheran Church of the Cross'' - homepage]. </ref>
[[Category:American people of Finnish descent]]

[[Category:Finnish-American culture in California]]
In San Francisco, Matti Finnila married to Alexandra (Sandra) Lantta from [[Ullava]], [[Finland]]. Matti became a contractor in bricklaying work and in early 1910s opened a Finnish-style sauna club for public. The club became known as Finnila's Finnish Baths. Matti and Alexandra Finnila had a son Alfred Finnila in 1913 and a daughter Edna Finnila (later Jeffrey) in 1916.

In 1932, the Finnila family finished constructing a new [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]] bathhouse building on Market Street in [[San Francisco]], about the same time when Alfred Finnila had began attending civil engineering classes at [[University of California, Berkeley]].

From 1932 to 1937, Alfred Finnila participated in the construction work of [[Golden Gate Bridge]]. In 1937, Alfred Finnila graduated from UC Berkeley. He now launched a geothermal drilling business, designed to explore for hot water and oil resources, mainly in the states of [[California]] and [[Nevada]]. Alfred Finnila soon also took charge of [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]] from is parents, and he continued in charge of the business until the final shut-down of [[Finnila's Finnish Baths|Finnila's]] in 2001. Alfred Finnila's sister Edna Jeffrey was the co-owner of [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]] building on Market Street, and she - together with other family members - today remains a co-owner of the new ''Noe Market Center'' building constructed in place of the old bathhouse.<ref>[http://forbidden.bravesites.com/edna-jeffrey Edna Jeffrey Biography - author of the novel ''Till I'm with You Again''].</ref>

==Four locations of Finnila's in San Francisco==

'''1.''' The first sauna of the Finnila family in San Francisco at 9 Douglas Street became a local attraction in the early 1910s. The sauna was built in the basement of the small wood-structured Victorian building, which the Finnilas owned and where they lived. At the start, the sauna was used mainly by the Finnila family, friends and neighbors. However, the word spread, and soon the Finnilas began accepting paying customers from the general public. Next, due to popular demand, the Finnilas decided to expand the bathhouse business and to move to a larger space and in more central location.

'''2.''' Finnila's opened a new bathouse at 4032 17th Street in 1919, only a half block west from the busy Castro Street. The Finnila family owned the entire 3-4 floor building, where the sauna facilities were built in the basement. There were two large traditional Finnish-style sauna-bathing rooms, one for women and another one for men. Both the women's and the men's sauna could accommodate about a dozen customers at a time. Throwing water on the hot rocks provided the hot steam for the baths. There were large shower and dressing rooms separately for the ladies and for the men. There were also separate women's and men's massage rooms, also in the basement of the buiding. At busy times, additional rooms from the upper floor were used to accommodate the massage customers.

'''3.''' The popularity of the Finnila's services prompted the Finnila family to expand the business even further. Next, Matti Finnila and his son Alfred designed and constructed a large [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]] bathhouse building on the busy [[Market Street (San Francisco, California)|Market Street]], in the corner of Noe Street. The new bathhouse at 2284 Market Street had large women's and men's public saunas, accessible from the lobby area, and smaller private saunas, accessible from labyrinth-style long hallways. There was also a large privates sauna - sauna No. 21 - , known as "family sauna". Every morning c. 6 am, natural gas fires were lit on burners on the hallways, each burner throwing a powerful flame into a pipeline which led underneath the hot rocks of a sauna. This design and method used for the heating of the saunas was unique.

In the mid-1980s, the popular [[Finnila's Finnish Baths|Finnila's]] [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]] bathhouse provided employment to a total of c. 65 employees, most of whom worked part-time. About 40 of these people were masseuses and masseurs, who each worked anywhere between one to five work shifts per week. The bathhouse was open daily from 10 am to 11 pm (Sundays, 8 am to 2 pm), providing both day-shifts and night-shifts for the employees.

Despite of public outcry and attempt/s to prevent the closing down of the popular [[Finnila's Finnish Baths|Finnila's]] [[Market Street (San Francisco, California)|Market Street]] bathhouse, the old bathhouse building was demolished by the owners, soon after the farewell party held in the end of December, 1985. Today, the Finnila family still owns the newly-constructed building attached to [[Cafe Flore]] - which was built in place of the old bathhouse - , in the corner of [[Market Street (San Francisco, California)|Market]] and Noe Streets. <ref name=Finnila>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.fi/books?id=N2u0ygpm2j0C&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&dq=Finnila+-+The+Contest&source=bl&ots=2oxZ_B_MZ1&sig=8Lv5bYgDqMKz5CSCUIQJbFjMIoY&hl=fi&sa=X&ei=fI4RUfPcIaiE4gSDhYGADQ&ved=0CCkQ6AEwADgU#v=snippet&q=Finnila's&f=false|title=''The Contest''|author=Stevanne Auerbach}}</ref>

'''4.''' The fourth location of Finnila's - ''Finnila's Heath Club'' - at 645 Taraval Street in San Francisco began serving customers in 1986. Hereafter, Finnila's was open only for women. The services included sauna-bathing, massage, aerobics and other health-related services.

==Alfred Finnila in construction of Golden Gate Bridge==

In 1932, the construction of the new Finnila's bathhouse on Market Street had been brought to conclusion. The bricklaying company of Matti Finnila had been in charge of laying a few hundred thousand bricks to the framework of the building. Alfred Finnila, Matti's son, had received much hands-on experience on how to
bend medal and how to solve practical construction problems.

This experience came in handy, as in 1932, Alfred Finnila began civil engineering studies at [[University of California, Berkeley]]. To pay for his schooling and to add on his engineering skills, Alfred signed for a job as a time-keeper at the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] construction site. The building of the bridge began on January 5, 1933.

In 1937, the construction of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] was brought to an end, and Alfred Finnila graduated from UC Berkeley the same year. Before that, Alfred had been promoted from his job as a time-keeper to the rank of assistant civil engineer of California. At the bridge work, Alfred Finnila had become the chief engineer in charge of all the bridge's ironing work and half of its road work.

Among many of his accomplishments at the Golden Gate Bridge construction work, Alfred Finnila designed the world famous Bridge Round House at the southeastern edge of the bridge. Bridge Round House became the all time busiest San Francisco Bay Area restaurant. For many decades, it has served as the starting point for countless San Francisco Bay Area tours. Bridge Round House has been renovated in 2012 and revealed as a suave [[Art Deco]] treat. <ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/Golden-Gate-Bridge-s-plaza-flawed-but-workable-3585446.php#ixzz2Q9CklCT1 ''Bridge Round House''], designed by Alfred Finnila, renovated and revealed as a suave Art Deco treat - SFGate.</ref>

Aside from [[Joseph B. Strauss]], the bridge's chief architect, Alfred Finnila can be credited as the single most important player in the construction of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]]. <ref>San Francisco Examiner. May 27, 1982. No. 147, p. 2. ''Golden Gate Bridge'' - 45th anniversary of completion.</ref>

Following the brige work, Alfred Finnila established, owned and ran for several decades a geothermal drilling business, designed to explore for water and oil resources, mainly in the states of [[California]] and [[Nevada]].

==Finnila's in a novel by Svevanne Auerbach==

'The Contest' is a novel by [[Stevanne Auerbach]], Ph.D. Among other things, the book discusses Finnila's Finnish Baths: <ref name=Finnila/>.

:'''Pages 159-160''':

:''"Every Tuesday, Shelly brought Alison directly home after school and left her in Nora's care. When Molly came home from school she had homework to do. Then she played with Alison or they both watched TV. Shelly was then free for a few precious hours.''

:''She drove over to pick up Melanie, and headed down the hill from Diamond Heights, to Marker Street, and into the parking lot of O'Reilly's Funeral Parlor near Noe Street. There was a special place next door, a place that gave them a special respite from work and stress.''

:''They dashed into Finnila's Finnish Baths, where Shelly had discovered a special room just right for small groups. Shelly's circle of friends expanded and she decided to invite several other women friends to join them in the steam baths each Tuesday afternoon. The time together to steam and talk helped each of them cope better and feel more relaxed.''

:''Finnila's was a funky, 75-year old place, with very thick gray concrete walls. It had originally been created by the owner's father, after he left Finland to settle in San Francisco. He brought with him the idea of a traditional sauna and created a unique, much-needed hideaway, a steamy oasis in the heart of the city. At the counter of the tiny lobby, you could purchase juice, water, or a cup of salt. You could also rent a locker and towels and arrange for a massage.''

:''At one end of the hall was a women's public bath; at the other end, a public bath for men. The public baths had shelves, hooks, and lockers for dressing, a large shower room, and then the very hot steam bath. In individual rooms off the hall, one or two people could share a private sauna and shower, and a private dressing room. All of the seats in the saunas were tiled in white. The place was kept spotless, and to Shelly it was a treasured delight.''

:''Shelly preferred room 21, the reserved group room. There inside this makeshift sanctuary she felt free to be with friends to talk, gossip and relax in a larger, more comfortable space. Three rooms were connected: a shower and steam, a resting room, and a dressing room. The time spent relaxing in this unique place helped Shelly to cope with all her challenges, especially when she was able to enjoy a massage.''

:''Melanie soon felt like Shelly's new best friend. She had grown up in Modesto, an agricultural town two hours east of San Francisco. Melanie was bright, energetic ..." "... perky, pretty, and playful when she got to the sauna ..."''

:'''Page 163''':

:''"On Tuesday night, after she returned home from Finnila's, Shelly felt more relaxed, refreshed, and better able to deal with whatever challenges or conflicts were going on. Each day ..."''

:'''Page 173''':

:''"Every Tuesday she looked forward to a refreshing respite at Finnila's. Her friends listened and laughed as she shared what was happening as they showered and lay on sheets on the white tile benches and baked in the wet steam that filled the room of the sauna."''

==Little Scandinavia of San Francisco==

Officially registered ''Finnish Club No. 1'' was established in the [[The Castro, San Francisco|Castro District]] of San Francisco in 1882. Soon after, two "Finnish Halls" were erected nearby. One was located at the corner of 24th Street and Hoffman Street. The other hall was located on Flint Street, on the "Rocky Hill" above [[The Castro, San Francisco|Castro]], an area densely Finnish-populated at the time - a '''Finn Town'''. Before the 1906 earthquake, nearly all the kids attending the McKinley school (now McKinley Elementary School) at 1025 14th Street (at Castro) were Finnish. Following the earthquake, a large amount of [[Finland|Finns]] of San Francisco - and [[Finland|Finns]] from elsewhere alike - moved to [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], where many Finns had settled already before. A big part of the early [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] population was [[Finland|Finnish]]. <ref name=Lutheran/>

This is the period when [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]] began serving customers in the [[The Castro, San Francisco|Castro District]] of San Francisco. In 1906, [[St. Francis Lutheran Church]] St. Francis Lutheran Church was erected at 152 Church Street, between [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]] and Duboce Street.<ref>[http://sfconfelca.org/''St. Francis Lutheran Church'' by San Francisco Conference of Lutheran Churches, ELCA].</ref> The construction work was completed by immigrants from the [[Nordic countries]], where [[Lutheranism]] is the largest religious group. The project overseen primarily by Danes took place in the heart of what was then the [[Nordic countries|Nordic]]-dominated Duboce-[[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market]] neighborhood of San Francisco. Facing the backside of St. Francis Lutheran Church, a small and light-colored [[Finland|Finnish]] church served [[Finnish language|Finnish]]-speaking church-goers on the one block long side street.

The 1943 novel ''Mama's Bank Account'' by [[Kathryn Forbes]] focused on a [[Norway|Norwegian]] family living in the area in the 1910s. Forbes' book served as the inspiration for John Van Druten's 1944 play ''[[I Remember Mama]]''. The play was adapted to a Broadway theater production in 1944; to a movie in 1948; to a CBS [[Mama (TV series)|Mama]] television series running from 1949 until 1957; to a ''[[Lux Radio Theater]]'' play in the late 1950s; and to a Broadway [[I Remember Mama (musical)|musical]]<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3795 "I Remember Mama, 1979"] Internet Broadway Database listing, accessed March 24, 2012.</ref> in 1979.

In the early 20th century - especially from c. 1910 to 1920s - the Castro District of San Francisco and some of the surrounding area was known as '''Little Scandinavia''', because of the large number of people of [[Sweden|Swedish]], [[Norway|Norwegian]], [[Denmark|Danish]], and [[Finland|Finnish]] ancestry who lived there.

The Cove on Castro used to be called The Norse Cove at the time. The Scandinavian Seamen's Mission operated for a long time on 15th Street, off Market Street, just around the corner from the [[Swedish-American]] Hall, which remains in the district. In 1920s - during the [[prohibition]] -, the downstairs of the Swedish-american Hall served as a ''speak-easy'', one of many in the area. "Unlicensed saloons" were known as ‘speak-easies’, according to an 1889 newspaper.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cheney Sentinel |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=September 13, 1889 |publisher= |location= |isbn= |page=1, col. 1}} (A newspaper in [[Cheney, Washington|Cheney]], Washington).</ref> They were "so called because of the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police or neighbors."<ref name=oed-speakeasy>{{cite web|last=Harper|first=Douglas|title="speakeasy"|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=speakeasy&allowed_in_frame=0|work=Online Etymology Dictionary|accessdate=29 October 2012}}</ref>

Scandinavian-style [[Timber framing|"half-timber"]] construction can still be seen in some of the buildings along Market Street, between Castro and Church Streets. A restaurant called Scandinavian Deli operated for decades on [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]], between Noe and Sanchez Streets, almost directly across the street from Finnila's.

==Awards and recognition==

Two times in row - in 1983 and in 1984 -, [[Finnila's Finnish Baths]] was granted the title "The Best", by the popular bi-weekly and free [[San Francisco Bay Area]] entertainment magazine [[San Francisco Bay Guardian]]. According to the paper, Finnila's provided the best sauna and massage deals in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]. <ref>''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' - N:o 37, 1984.</ref>

==External links==

{{Commons category|The Castro, San Francisco}}
* [http://castrobiscuit.com/ Castro Biscuit - The Castro Area Happenings Blog].
* [http://www.mycastro.com/ Castro District Guide - Things To Do, Reviews and News].
* [http://www.castrosf.org/ Castro SF - The Complete Local Guide].
* [http://www.dreamworld.org/sfguide/Neighborhoods/ Castro Guided photo tour of Castro].
* [http://books.google.fi/books?id=N2u0ygpm2j0C&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&dq=Finnila+-+The+Contest&source=bl&ots=2oxZ_B_MZ1&sig=8Lv5bYgDqMKz5CSCUIQJbFjMIoY&hl=fi&sa=X&ei=fI4RUfPcIaiE4gSDhYGADQ&ved=0CCkQ6AEwADgU#v=snippet&q=Finnila's&f=false/ Finnila's-related exerts from the novel ''The Contest'', by Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D.].
* [http://facebook.com/Finnilas Finnila's Finnish Baths on Facebook].
* [http://forbidden.bravesites.com/edna-jeffrey Edna Jeffrey Biography - co-owner of Finnila's, author of the novel ''Till I'm with You Again''].
* [http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/Golden-Gate-Bridge-s-plaza-flawed-but-workable-3585446.php#ixzz2Q9CklCT1 ''Bridge Round House''], designed by Alfred Finnila, renovated and revealed as a suave Art Deco treat - SFGate.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:American civil engineers]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]

Latest revision as of 04:37, 12 September 2016

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