Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco's Marina District is a domed rotunda and curved colonnade beside a quiet lagoon, designed by Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It was built as a place of calm before the exhibition galleries and is one of the few structures from that fair still standing, which makes it one of the city's best-loved landmarks.

The story behind it

The 1915 exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and the way San Francisco had rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake. Maybeck was asked to create a peaceful space for visitors to pause before entering the art galleries. He answered with a romantic ruin, a Roman-style rotunda and colonnade that looks as if it has stood by the water for centuries, though it was brand new.

The Palace you see today is not quite the one the 1915 crowds saw. The original was built of wood and plaster, and as a temporary fair structure it slowly decayed. It was demolished in 1964 and rebuilt in concrete, and a seismic retrofit was completed in 2009. High on the colonnade, sculpted women bend their heads away from the viewer, as if weeping. They are the work of the sculptor Ulric Ellerhusen, and no one has ever said for whom they grieve.

What to look for

• Look up at the top of the colonnade, where the figures of women stand with their faces turned down and away, as if in mourning.
• Walk around the rotunda and notice how its dome and columns reflect in the lagoon, which is the classic view of the place.
• Follow the curve of the colonnade and see how the columns frame the water and the trees, a ruin staged on purpose to feel timeless.
• Look closely at the surfaces and details, then remember that the concrete you are seeing replaced the original wood and plaster.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 30 to 45 minutes to stroll around the lagoon, take photographs and sit for a while on the edge of the water.
• Go in the morning for softer light and fewer people, or near sunset when the dome glows against the sky.
• The rotunda and lagoon are best enjoyed from the outdoor paths. Check current opening hours and event listings if you want to see a performance in the theatre.
• The Presidio and the waterfront are close, so the Palace pairs well with a longer walk through the neighbourhood.

See it on a quest

San Francisco Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. brings you to the Palace on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in San Francisco is a good fit if you like your sightseeing with a bit of atmosphere. You walk between places, hear the story of each one as you reach it, and solve a puzzle on the spot. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape in San Francisco takes the Wizard of Oz as its theme and leads you through the city on foot, with the Palace among the places you pass. At each stop the app shares the background and gives you a puzzle to solve. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.