Unspecified/General

In the leafy Marina district of San Francisco at the eastern edge of the Presidio, the Palace of Fine Arts is one of the most photographed buildings on the West Coast and a beloved landmark of the city. The dramatic Beaux-Arts complex was originally designed by the celebrated San Francisco architect Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the great world's fair held in the city to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and the city's recovery from the 1906 earthquake and fire. The exposition itself ran for ten months from February through December 1915 and drew nearly nineteen million visitors. The Palace of Fine Arts was conceived as a temporary structure housing the exposition's art exhibits and was, like the other Beaux-Arts pavilions of the exposition, intended to be demolished afterwards. The structure's extraordinary architectural beauty, however, produced an enormous public outcry against demolition, and the building was preserved with the support of the wealthy Phoebe Apperson Hearst. The original structure was built of plaster, hemp fibre and burlap on a wooden frame, materials chosen for their low cost and ease of demolition rather than long-term durability. By the late 1950s the structure was visibly crumbling, and a complete reconstruction in poured concrete (preserving the original Maybeck design) was completed between 1964 and 1974 at a cost of around 9.4 million dollars. The defining feature of the complex is the central rotunda, a 162-foot domed structure flanked by a sweeping curved colonnade of paired Corinthian columns set on a stepped base. The rotunda is set on the western side of a 175-foot artificial lagoon stocked with swans and the occasional turtle, with the structure's reflection in the still water producing one of the most photographed scenes in the city. The complex is free to wander at any hour, and the surrounding grounds host frequent weddings, photography sessions and small public events. The adjoining Palace of Fine Arts Theater hosts an active programme of music, dance and theatrical performances.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA, United States

Telephone: 415-376-7338

Website: palaceoffinearts.org

Opening Date: 20/02/1915