Soon after California passed its first juvenile justice law in 1903, San Francisco activists, and notably women, began to campaign for a modern juvenile court and detention home.

In 1914, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors finally appropriated the money and appointed master architect Louis Christian Mullgardt to design the new facility. Mullgardt's design incorporated the most modern theories of juvenile justice.

Source: Extracted from the NRHP nomination form.

The Juvenile Court and Detention Home is also San Francisco Landmark 248.