Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design or Rudolph Schaeffer School of Rhythmo-Chromatic Design (1924 – 1984) was an art school located in
San Francisco, California, best known for its courses in color and interior design. The school was founded by artist
Rudolph Schaeffer.
History
The school founder, Rudolph Frederick Schaeffer[1] had studied in
Munich (1914 to 1915) through the United States Commission of Education, learn about the study of color, design, and craft and how it was being taught in public, industrial, and trade schools.[2] He also studied
color theory under
Ralph Johonnot.[3]
The Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design was an art school founded in 1924 in
San Francisco, California.[2] Originally named the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Rhythmo-Chromatic Design, located at 136 St. Anne Street[4] with large front windows looking out on
Saint Mary's Square and
Beniamino Bufano's
Sun Yat Sen statue, in the
Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco. Other artists had studios in the Anne Street building, including
Bertha Lum and Frances Revett Wallace.[5]
"St. Mary's Square sloped down from Sun Yat Sen and the poplar trees, a beautiful sloping park where the Chinese women and mothers used to bring their children and spread a blanket and have their lunch and sit there in the sun; our students used to go out and sit in the park and enjoy that park. Then the city came along and condemned the whole street, this little St. Anne Street running at the base of the park, and a parking lot for the Stauffer Chemical Company on the other side, and a small hotel at either end of St. Anne Street running from California to Pine."[2]
2255 Mariposa Street, the
Potrero Hill campus from 1960–1984[6]
By 1960 the school moved to
Potrero Hill at 2255 Mariposa Street.[5][10] In 1984, the school closed after financial issues and disagreements in terms of direction of the school between Schaeffer and the Board of Trustees.[5]
Notable students
A list of notable alumni from Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, in alphabetical order by last name.
Dorr Bothwell (1902–2002), artist, designer and author of "Notan – on the Interaction of Positive and Negative Spaces"[11]