A monumentous structure that was intended to be temporary, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco has become a permanent fixture of the city that blends classical architecture with the natural landscape in a way that has been able to resonate with audiences of multiple eras. This combination has enabled the structure to become an essential attraction for the city and ensured that it will continue to make an impact on residents and visitors of San Francisco for generations.
The Most Beloved Structure
Architect Bernard Maybeck built the Palace of Fine Arts in 1915 as one of many elements of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. He utilized the natural beauty of a lagoon as part of his design rather than seeing it filled in. His dedication to combining the natural landscape with man-made structures is evident across the site, which continues to provide food and shelter for wildlife residents of the urban ecosystem.
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was promised as a theme of “human progress through human endeavor”. It treated participants to displays of technology from 31 countries and contained fifty miles of avenues and aisles. This variety made the popularity of the Palace of Fine Arts especially notable, as it was described as one of the most beloved structures of the event. That’s part of the reason an effort was made to ensure the Palace was not disassembled at the conclusion of the event even before the Expo was closed.
While the Palace was able to escape destruction over the following decades by being used as everything from a continuous art exhibit to a telephone book distribution center, the structure eventually fell into ruin. By the 1950s, the structure had almost completely deteriorated.
In 1959, philanthropist Walter Johnson spearheaded an effort to save the structure. In 1964, the buildings were stripped to their foundations and a permanent version of the original design was reconstructed in steel and cement with details cast from the original. Another restoration effort in the 1980s saw the addition of exterior lighting while further developments in the 2000s resulted in improvements to the landscape and lagoon. All of this history is displayed on numerous panels across the site.
These continued efforts have allowed the Palace of Fine Arts to become one of the most notable attractions in San Francisco, pulling in audiences that can do anything from enjoy the scenery to attend an organized event. This interest and variety has helped to positively define the experiences and opportunities that have been enabled across the entire space.
Experiences and Opportunities
The Greek-style columns and central rotunda are the dominant features of the Palace of Fine Arts. The 162 feet open rotunda was created to evoke ancient Rome, while the columns and other classical details were designed by Maybeck to make visitors feel as if they were walking through a ruin from another time.
The way in which these architectural elements are blended into the natural landscape of the Palace Lagoon has captivated audiences for decades. Over thirty different kinds of wildlife have been observed at the site, ranging from large raptors to tiny mosquitofish. The lagoon has numerous migrating and permanent residents, including a variety of songbirds and water birds. Several different types of turtles, frogs and fish fill the water.
The popularity of all these features has created opportunities related to direct revenue. The Palace of Fine Arts has been used as a venue for events such as weddings or trade fairs. The theatre also hosts a variety of concerts and performers. The site has also been the setting of numerous films and TV shows, creating further notoriety and revenue for stakeholders.
The Palace of Fine Arts allows visitors to partake in these organized events but also gives them the space to take a relaxing stroll or to relax by the lagoon, all of which pulls in audiences from across the city and world. These experiences highlight what it can mean when the natural and constructed beauty of a landscape is actively considered, developed and conserved.
Harnessing the Power of Architecture and Landscape
The Palace of Fine Arts has become one of San Francisco’s most beloved monuments, which is especially notable since the city contains so many different landmarks and experiences. The vision that was associated with Maybeck’s combination of architecture and landscape allowed the Palace of Fine Arts to immediately become an attraction that residents and visitors of all eras have and continue to embrace.
