Architect Bernard R. Maybeck designed the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in the style of a Roman ruin. Designed to be a temporary building, the Palace was built with wood covered in
staff, which is a mixture of plaster and burlap fiber. After the Exposition, the Palace was maintained and used by various groups including the San Francisco Art Association, the U.S. Army, and the city of San Francisco. The palace slowly deteriorated and after World War II was declared unsafe. In 1964 the Palace was demolished and reconstruction of a replica began. The rotunda was completed in 1967, and in 1975 replicas of the original colonnades were added.
This page contains 54 pictures of the Palace of Fine Arts and is one of my favorite locations in San Francisco to photograph. The beautiful architecture combined with the reflections in the water result in stunning night photos of the Palace.
