Alfred Finnila

Alfred August Finnila (born on December 12 - deceased on September 26, 2000) was an American civil engineer, born and raised in San Francisco, California in USA.

As an engineering draftsman, Finnila oversaw all the ironing work and half of the road work of the Golden Gate Bridge, during the uplifting of the bridge's main structure in 1933–1937. Immediately following the completion of the bridge work, the Art Deco design of the famous Bridge Round House diner was completed by Alfred Finnila at the southeastern end of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1938.

Roots and early life
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 learned the skill of bricklaying. In 1906, the San Francisco earthquake inspired Matti Finnila - like many other Finns - to move to San Francisco, to help rebuild the city.

In San Francisco, Matti Finnila met Alexandra (Sandra) Lantta from Ullava, Finland. The couple married and settled to live in the San Francisco's heavily Finnish-populated Castro District. Matti Finnila established a bricklaying business and in the early 1910s opened a Finnish-style sauna club, Finnila's Finnish Baths, for the general public. Matti and Alexandra Finnila had the son Alfred Finnila in 1913 and a daughter Edna Finnila (later Edna Jeffrey) in 1916.

In 1919, the Finnila family opened a new bathhouse at 4032 17th Street, a half block west from the busy Castro Street. The Finnila family owned the entire 3-4 floor building, where separate ladies' and mens sauna and massage facilities were embedded in the basement. In 1932, Alfred Finnila finished constructing a new Finnila's Finnish Baths bathhouse building on Market Street in San Francisco. Two years before, in 1930, Finnila had began attending civil engineering classes at University of California, Berkeley, to become a civil engineer. Finnila graduated from UC Berkley in 1937.

Finnila's Finnish Baths
Finnila's Finnish Baths was a popular and important element in the history of San Francisco's Castro District from the 1910s starting. In 1932, Alfred Finnila finished on San Francisco's Market Street the construction of the new Finnila's Finnish Baths bathhouse, which he himself had designed. As the general manager, Alfred Finnila oversaw the operations of the Finnila's health club business for nearly seven decades, from 1931 to September, 2000.

Despite of public outcry to try to save the bathhouse, it was demolished in 1986 by Alfred Finnila. Finnila's opened up in new location on San Francisco's Taraval Street. In 1986-1987, Alfred Finnila constructed a new building in place of the old bathhouse on Market Street. The new building was named Market & Noe Center. The primary owner of it today is Edna Jeffrey, the sister of the deceased Alfred Finnila. Prior to the demolishing of the old bathhouse, a part of the property where Cafe Flore has been operating since 1973 - up to date -, was owned by Alfred Finnila. Other businesses were renting space from the old Alfred Finnila's bathhouse building, just like they are today from Market & Noe Center.

Geothermal drilling
From 1932 to 1986, Alfred Finnila had his business offices and a store front for his geothermal drilling business on street level at 2280 Market Street, in the same building where the bathhouse operated. The geothermal drilling business explored for hot water and oil resources, mainly in the states of California and Nevada.

Golden Gate Bridge
From January 5, 1932, to May of 1937, Alfred Finnila participated in the construction of Golden Gate Bridge. As an engineering draftsman, Finnila oversaw all the ironing work and half of the road work of the bridge.

Aside from Joseph B. Strauss, the bridge's chief architect, Alfred Finnila can be credited as perhaps the single most important key player in the uplifting of the bridge.

Bridge Round House
Among his accomplishments associated with the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alfred Finnila designed the famous Bridge Round House diner which opened in 1938 at the southeastern end of Golden Gate Bridge, adjacent to the tourist plaza which was renovated in 2012. Bridge Round House became the all time busiest San Francisco Bay Area restaurant, before it was turned to an unofficial gift shop and a visitor center. Thereafter, Bridge Round House served for a long time as a starting point for countless San Francisco Bay Area tours. In 2012, a renovation work of Bridge Round House was completed and it was revealed as a suave Art Deco treat - a diner -, as Alfred Finnila had designed it. The gift shop was removed as a new, official gift shop has been included in the adjacent plaza renovations.

Larkspur Landing
Among various properties in the San Francisco Bay Area owned by Alfred Finnila was the area known as Larkspur Landing in Marin County. In the 1970s, Alfred Finnila sold, leased and rented parts of Larkspur Landing to the City of Larkspur and to various businesses, including the restaurant chain of Victoria Station.

A part of the Larkspur Landing area was sold to the City of Larkspur to be used as a major Marin County ferry terminal. That part today is known both as Larkspur Landing and as Larkspur Ferry Terminal.

Dirty Harry filming
Director Don Siegel filmed the final scenes of the 1971 movie Dirty Harry on the area of Larkspur Landing and at the adjacent East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. After hijacking a school bus, the character of "Scorpio" - played by Andy Robinson - drives into East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at the Greenbrae interchange, before crashing into the site of the Hutchinson Company quarry. During the filming of Dirty Harry, the movie crew, including the actor Clint Eastwood, visited Finnila's Finnish Baths - the health club owned by Alfred Finnila in San Francisco - for sauna bathing and for massage.

Awards and recognition
Still shortly before closing its popular Market Street location in San Francisco in the 1980s, Finnila's Finnish Baths - owned and operated by Alfred Finnila - was awarded the title "The Best" two times in row by the popular bi-weekly and free San Francisco Bay Area entertainment magazine San Francisco Bay Guardian. According to the paper, Finnila's was "The Best Sauna and Massage Parlor" in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1983 and 1984.