Palace of Fine Arts

Designed by Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the Palace of Fine Arts was originally constructed as a temporary exposition building evoking classical Roman and Greek architecture. Because the original structure was built of non-permanent materials, the Palace was rebuilt in permanent materials in the 1960s by the city to preserve the iconic rotunda and colonnades. Its lagoon, rotunda, and colonnade survive as one of San Francisco's most photographed classical-style landmarks and are frequently used for cultural events and film shoots.