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Photo: J. Ash Bowie, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Built in 1917 as the city's public library building, this building is a fantastic blend of "Beaux Arts" and modern design elements. It was designed by renowned architect Gae Aulenti (architect of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Inside, you'll find many interesting architectural details including the grand staircase, loggia, vaulted ceilings, the great hall, stone floors, period light fixtures, an oddly interminable escalator, and inscriptions. The museum is one of the largest and newest museums of Oriental art. It has circa 15,000 artifacts covering 6,000 years of Asian history. The Asian Art Museum hosts many special exhibits as well. The cafe on premises also has some decent food, though pricier and somewhat more tame than better places a short walk away.
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco – Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is a museum in San Francisco, California that specializes in Asian art. The museum building and its permanent collection are owned by the City of San Francisco.
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The monument is a tribute to California and its early pioneers like Sir Francis Drake. Atop sits a bear and a man carrying both spear and shied — all three objects are imagery that represent California.
This grassy plaza is at the heart of the Civic Center and its tree-lined central avenue visually draws the eye to the imposing structure of City Hall. Protests and demonstrations of all political persuasions are frequently staged here. There is a parking lot underneath the plaza, which used to actually be a subterranean convention center that held some of the earliest Apple events back in the 1980s.
Completed in 1995 at a cost of $109 million, the main library branch is over of modern architecture. It has seven floors, over 2,000 seats, and an impressive foyer that has a five story high atrium. At the top of the atrium is a bright sky-light and a roof terrace. The library also contains a small bookstore for selling surplus books, and there are gallery spaces that often have displays on.
Architect Arthur Brown Jr., who also designed City Hall and several other Civic Center landmarks, designed this building. It was completed in 1936, making it the last building to be completed in the seven-building complex of the Civic Center. It is an interesting 6-story, D-shaped, "Beaux Arts" building. It also has a interior courtyard and many of its features such as the lobby and main stairway are subject to historical preservation laws. The building is closed and can only be appreciated from the outside.
This four-story tall, "Beaux-Arts" style building occupies an entire city block in the heart of the Civic Center and has 7,000 seats inside. Large and small bands, exhibits, concerts, and galas are all hosted at the Civic Auditorium. Check Ticketmaster to see what's playing.
Over 80 years old, this official historical landmark theater received another facelift in 1998; it now has over 2,400 seats. The theater has hosted everything from silent films to Broadway theater, and special shows such as "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." It is modeled in the style of a 12th century Spanish Cathedral, being heavily influenced by both "Spanish Moorish" and "Spanish Baroque" architecture. It has ornate architectural detailing inside and was designed by architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca.