Palace Of Fine Arts - San Francisco

GAZE UPON ITS SPLENDOR (photo by Jon Sullivan from pdphoto.org)

OVERVIEW

The Palace of Fine Arts is Located in the Marina District in San Francisco, California. It consists of Roman inspired architecture including a rotunda and many different columns. The rotunda at the Palace of Fine Arts has over 12,000 works of art. While under the rotunda, you can look up and see the extremely detailed pieces of art in all of their beauty. The Palace of Fine Arts is also a theater that hosts many different kinds of events such as festivals, concerts, and other special exhibits. The Palace of Fine Arts Theater can hold about 1,000 people. The San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts is a must see tourist attraction. The address of the Palace of Fine Arts is 3601 Lyon Street. The Palace of Fine Arts has a Beaux-Arts style architecture and it is tan, pink and white. This building looks like something that should be located somewhere in Europe rather than in San Francisco. The Palace of Fine Arts was built in 1915 for the Panama Pacific International Exposition. However, it later had to be rebuilt as it was supposed to be a temporary exhibit. The people of San Francisco loved the Palace of Fine Arts so much that it was rebuilt so it can be up permanently.

HISTORY OF THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS

The Palace of Fine Arts is located in San Francisco, California. San Francisco wanted to show that they had made a full recovery following the devastating earthquake in 1906, so they hosted the Panama Pacific International Exposition. This exposition was meant to help celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and took place in 1915. The exposition had 11 different exhibit palaces to show art from many locations around the globe. Many people think of the Palace of Fine Arts as the most beautiful of all the 11 exhibit palaces. The Palace of Fine Arts was built by the architect Bernard Maybeck and was originally used to house art from all the way from the Renaissance to art in 1915. It is said that California native Bernard Maybeck was inspired by an engraving by Piranesi. The Palace of Fine Arts is a sight to see and today it looks just as beautiful as it did the day it was built. The Palace of Fine Arts is a reminder of when people from around the world came together in San Francisco during the Panama Pacific International Exposition in 1915.

REBUILDING THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS

When the 11 exhibit palaces were built for the Panama Pacific International Exposition, they were all supposed to be temporary exhibits. The architect who built the Palace of Fine Arts, Bernard Maybeck wanted his exhibit to fall to ruins, as that was his original design concept. The original Palace of Fine Arts was built out of plaster, wood and burlap. The Palace of Fine Arts was left to fall apart for many years, since this was Bernard Maybeck’s vision. However, the people of San Francisco loved the Palace of Fine Arts so much that they wanted it to be a permanent staple of the city. Restoration efforts did not take place for over forty years, until finally Assemblyman Casper Weinberger decided to make an effort to have the Palace of Fine Arts restored in 1959. After this though, there were still many obstacles in rebuilding the Palace of Fine Arts. For example, the restoration project was very costly and it took time to raise the money that was needed. Luckily a philanthropist named Walter S. Johnson was able to give a very generous donation of 2 million dollars to the Palace of Fine Arts, and the restoration was finally able to take place.

PRESENT DAY PALACE OF FINE ARTS

Today, the Palace of Fine Arts acts as a theater where many different concerts and events can be held. The Palace of Fine Arts Theater was built in 1970 thanks to the generous donation by Walter Johnson. Right now, due to COVID-19, there are not any events happening in the theater, but under normal circumstances there would be. Aside from being used as a theater, the Palace of Fine Arts is also a beautiful sight to see. While at the Palace of Fine Arts, you can walk around the pond that surrounds the building. You can also admire the beautiful architecture that went into making the Palace of Fine Arts. Another fun thing to do at the Palace of Fine Arts is having a picnic on the lawn. This way you can stay and admire the different Roman inspired columns and the details inside of the dome at the Palace of Fine Arts. There is no admission fee to visit the Palace of Fine Arts, it is free for people of all ages. This is another reason why it is such a popular tourist attraction. Today the Palace of Fine Arts is run by the Palace of Fine Arts League. The Palace of Fine Arts League is a non-profit organization that was established in 1962.

IMPACTS ON THE COMMUNITY

The Palace of Fine Arts has had many different impacts on the community. Over the past century since the Palace of Fine Arts was built, people have traveled from around the world to observe its beauty. Similar to tourists, many Bay Area locals also visit the Palace of Fine Arts because it is such a sight to behold. The Palace of Fine Arts also allows people to experience many different events such as film festivals, concerts, and many other special events. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, concerts and events at the theater are being rescheduled to later dates once there are less restrictions in place. Another impact the Palace of Fine Arts has had on the community is that when it first opened it was a place where people could see art from the renaissance era until 1915, when the Palace of Fine Arts opened. Overall, the Palace of Fine Arts provides San Francisco with great culture and architecture for people of all ages to enjoy.