Islamic Society of San Francisco

The Islamic Society of San Francisco's Masjid Darussalam is the largest mosque in downtown San Francisco. It is located on the site of the former Prager's Department Store on Jones Street in the Tenderloin district. The top floors of the formerly-five story building collapsed in the 1906 earthquake, and after renovations only two full floors remained. That building was used as office space and manufacturing space until 1991, when the ISSF purchased it.The upper floor of the building was opened up to create a large prayer space, lined with full windows on two sides. In 2006, the wall between the men's and women's sections was taken down, creating one open space. The space is decorated with traditional patterned tiles, modern tiles with Islamic calligraphy, and other decorations donated by members and visitors, including a bench made from the doors of a former mosque in Afghanistan. In the ground floor entrance area, a screen with 8-sided geometric figures commonly found in Islamic architecture was digitally fabricated by local architecture students.In 2003, a 30-foot-by-50-foot mural, the "Arab Cultural Mural" was painted on the back facade of the building by local artists Fayeq Oweis, Khalil Bendib and Said Nuseibeh. The mural is meant to depict Arab culture and its contributions to art and architecture and consists of a garden theme surrounded by decorative arcades.Sources:MacFarquhar, Neil. "As Barrier Comes Down, a Muslim Split Remains." The New York Times, June 25, 2006. Accessed February 26, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/25/us/25muslim.html?pagewanted=all.Pasquini, Elaine. "Arab Cultural Mural Unveiled at Islamic Society of San Francisco." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November 2003. Accessed February 26, 2015. http://www.wrmea.org/2003-november/arab-cultural-mural-unveiled-at-islamic-society-of-san-francisco.html.PBS. "City Guide to Sacred Spaces in San Francisco." God in America series, 2010. Accessed February 26, 2015. http://www-tc.pbs.org/godinamerica/art/sfo_cityguide.pdf.