This Faux Roman Temple in San Francisco Was Saved by One Man’s $2 Million Gift

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

In a city known for tech and fog, the Palace of Fine Arts is San Francisco’s unexpected Roman holiday. Those soaring columns and rotunda weren’t built by ancient Romans – they were created for a world’s fair by a California architect who wanted to design the perfect ruins.

A century later, his faux ruins have become a real San Francisco treasure.

Art Meant to Decay

Intentionally designed by Bernard Maybeck to appear ancient, the original 1915 Palace was built from plaster-fiber over wood (meant to fade gracefully with time).

Maybeck even suggested planting redwoods around the rotunda so “the columns would slowly crumble at approximately the same speed” as the trees grew.

Bigger Than it Looks

What appears simple from afar reveals tremendous complexity up close. The complex offers 140,000 square feet of event space with multiple rooms and an expansive mezzanine. The entire grounds cover 17 acres, with the rotunda standing 162 feet tall. The lagoon takes about 15 minutes to circumnavigate.

More Than Just a Pretty Face

It once housed eighteen lighted tennis courts, stored military vehicles during WWII, parked UN diplomats’ limousines, and distributed telephone books.

From the mid-1940s, the vast hall held big stacks of phone books, flags, tents, and more. At one time, they kept all the town’s park tools in there.

During the Great Depression, you would have seen WPA artists replacing deteriorated murals on the rotunda ceiling, giving work to struggling artists.

Exists Thanks to San Francisco’s Funding

Following the 1906 earthquake, city leaders raised an astounding $4 million (equivalent to $120-130 million today) in just two hours to host the 1915 exposition.

During the exposition, you would have seen 11,403 artworks displayed inside the Palace, making it a true cultural treasure that’s been preserved through the ages.

A Single Donor Saved the Entire Structure

When it faced demolition in the 1960s, businessman Walter S. Johnson donated $2 million to rebuild it permanently while experts were advocating to replace it.

The preservation effort began with Caspar Weinberger (later the U.S. Secretary of Defense) and was supported by William Merchant, one of the original designers.

The Columns Are Intentionally Uneven

Maybeck took classical architecture and broke all the rules. Examine the colonnades closely and you’ll notice the different heights. Some columns were originally painted light green, creating an almost dreamlike quality.

The exhibition hall behind the columns originally featured additional ornate elements to create a complete fantasy landscape.

Famous Faces Have Debated Here

In 1976, it hosted the second presidential debate between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. You might also recognize it from the Wheel of Fortune tapings in the 1990s.

When you explore the building, you’re walking through 140,000 square feet of event space with multiple rooms and an expansive mezzanine with panoramic views. The 966-seat theater continues to host performances till today.

Secret Bird Sanctuary on the Pacific Flyway

Each year, the Palace of Fine Arts’ tranquil lagoon becomes a bird sanctuary. Great horned owls, with their feathered ear tufts and solemn amber eyes, roost high in the archways, watching over like silent sentinels.

Blue herons stalk the shallow edges, their long necks poised with mechanical precision as they spear minnows in the early morning mist.

Mallards, canvasbacks, and the occasional cinnamon teal glide in from their migratory route that stretches from Alaska and through the Pacific Flyway.

Hollywood Can’t Get Enough of It

You’ve probably seen the Palace without realizing it. Filmmakers continue using it as an iconic San Francisco backdrop. The distinctive structure appears in countless films and TV shows, including Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” “The Rock,” “Bicentennial Man,” and cult favorite “The Room.”

Visiting the Palace of Fine Arts

You’ll find it at 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. The grounds are free and stay open all day and night. No cost to walk the grounds, but theatre shows have fees.

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