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Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in San
Francisco, California, is found in the Marina District and was
originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, and
designed by Bernard Maybeck; who was inspired by the architecture of
Greece and Rome. Ulric Ellerhusen made the allegorical figures and
the sculptured frieze that represents Meditation, Contemplation and
Wonderment. It is one of three buildings from the exposition that
wasn't demolished, and includes the Japanese Tea House and Billy
Graham Civic Auditorium. It was thoroughly restored in the 1960s to
preserve its wonderful architecture and now houses the
Exploratorium, which is a state-of-the-art interactive science
museum. The area is considered to be an excellent place for weddings
to be held, and was given another renovation in 2009, with a seismic
retrofit, and lagoon likened to those found in Europe that would
give a mirror image of the buildings surrounding it. There are
Australian eucalyptus trees lining the east shores and numerous
wildlife have made it their homes; including frogs, turtles, swans,
geese, raccoons and ducks. The dome of the palace and lagoon next
door have been used in many films that include; Vertigo, the Room,
Time after Time, Twisted, Jagged, Edge, the Rock, the Bachelor,
Kuffs and So I Married an Axe Murderer. In the television shows;
Monk, Journeyman, the Streets of San Francisco and Nash Bridges. It
has even been shown in video games like Sim City 2000, Sim City 4
and Sim City 3000 Unlimited. The Panama-Pacific Exposition of
1915 was to become a special event that would be devoted to
progress, which included the Panama Canal's finish and the
restoration of the city after its terrible disaster of 1906, the
huge earthquake. The palace building would be the final one built,
composed of wood and "staff", a mixture of plaster and a type of
burlap fiber; and would be the biggest building that ever made of
the materials, since the entire complex would only last a year and
then be easily collapsed. However, a movement started in October of
1915, which was called Fine Arts Preservation Day and thousands of
people and hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised to preserve
the magnificently designed structure. After the exposition area was
burned, only the palace was left standing, which would then be cared
for by the San Francisco Art Association, and it became part of the
city park's system after WWI. Federal monies were used to restore
some of the damaged areas and decorations, then, in 1934, the Parks
and Recreation Department put in 18 lighted tennis courts that would
be there until 1942, and then the palace would be used by the army
for their motor pool; which would be returned to the parks
department in 1947. After that period, the building would slowly
crumble from the hardships of weather and ill-use; and then fenced
off because it had become a hazardous area to the public. In the
late 1950s, a organization of devoted citizens, headed by
philanthropist Walter S. Johnson, that began a drive to save the
palace from a planned demolition and restorate it to its former
glory. Work started in 1964, and finished in 1967, with the
colonnades being added in 1975. It houses the Exploratium and Palace
of Fine Arts.
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