Palace of Fine Arts

:"For the opera house in Mexico City, see Palacio de Bellas Artes, and for the Palace of Fine Arts that was part of Chicago's White City fairgrounds for the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), see Museum of Science and Industry".

The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California is a building originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.

History

It was designed by Bernard Maybeck, who took his inspiration from Roman and Greek architecture.cite book | last =McCoy | first =Esther | authorlink =Esther McCoy | title =Five California Architects | publisher =Reinhold Publishing Corporation | year =1960 | location =New York | pages =6 | id =ASIN B000I3Z52W] The sculptured frieze and allegorical figures representing "Contemplation, Wonderment" and "Meditation" were created by Ulric Ellerhusen. [ Exhibition of American Sculpture Catalogue, 156th Street of Broadway New York, The National Sculpture Society 1923 p.55 ] It was one of only two buildings from the exposition not to be demolished (the other being the Japanese Tea House [ [http://www.thevansrestaurant.com/history.htm The Van's History ] ] , not to be confused with the Japanese Tea House that remains in Golden Gate Park, which dates from an 1894 fair). In the 1960s it was entirely refurbished to ensure its longevity. [ [http://www.lovethepalace.org/renovate.html The renovation and restoration of the Palace of Fine Arts ] ] The exhibition hall, which originally housed Impressionist paintings during the exposition, is now home to the Exploratorium, a state of the art interactive science museum. There is also a replica of the Palace of Fine Arts in Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, as part of the exterior of the Golden Dreams attraction. [cite web | title =Golden Dreams | work =Disney's California Adventure | publisher =Walt Disney Company | url =http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/attractions/detail?name=GoldenDreamsAttractionPage | accessdate =2007-05-11]

A single dome remains from the eight identical structures that were originally constructed. Towering colonnaded walkways linked the buildings on the site, but only a few remain intact.

The Palace of Fine Arts has been a favorite wedding location for couples throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In recent years the Palace of Fine Arts has fallen into ill repair, and a fundraising effort was launched.

The lagoon was intended to echo those found in classical settings in Europe, where the expanse of water provides a mirror surface to reflect the grand buildings and an undisturbed vista to appreciate them from a distance. In many places the edges are subsiding into the water, forming uneven and dangerous surfaces that are fenced off from the public and used by turtles to sun themselves. Australian eucalyptus trees fringe the eastern shores. Many forms of wildlife have made their home there including swans, ducks (particularly migrating fowl), geese, turtles, frogs, and raccoons.

Other cities with buildings called "The Palace of Fine Arts" include Chicago (built for the 1893 World's Fair & today the home of the Museum of Science & Industry), and Mexico City.

The dome of the Palace of Fine Arts just outside the Exploratorium and the adjacent lagoon have often been used as backdrops for movies, such as Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo". One of the more recent sequences takes place in "The Rock", where FBI agent Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) finally catches up with John Mason (Sean Connery).

Photos

In Fiction and Film

Film

*"The Bachelor" - With a helpful priest (James Cromwell) by his side, reluctant groom Jimmy Shannon (Chris O'Donnell) has an epiphany while sitting in a canoe on the palace's lake.
*"Time After Time" (1979) - Several scenes including one between (Malcolm McDowell) and (Mary Steenburgen) as well as the climax stand off with (David Warner).
* "Kuffs" (1992) - Christian Slater begrudgingly leaves a taxi in the city's Marina neighborhood, a prominent shot of the Palace of Fine Arts behind him.
* "The Rock" (1996) - Nicolas Cage goes to confront Sean Connery during daylight, who is speaking with his estranged daughter (Claire Forlani) in the dome.
* "So I Married an Axe Murderer" (1993) - Mike Myers and Nancy Travis take a scenic walk on their first date, where they encounter Russian sailors at the Palace of Fine Arts.
*"Twisted" - Police officer Ashley Judd finds herself being stalked in a foggy scene throughout the dome.
*"Jagged Edge" - Briefly seen in a scenic view out a window in a home.

Television

*"The Streets of San Francisco" - In the episode, "The Set-Up", a hit-man leads a blind bar owner through the grounds at night as Stone and Keller trail behind.
*"Monk" - In the episode "Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame", Adrian Monk and his trusty assistant Sharona take a casual walk through the Palace of Fine Arts.
*"Nash Bridges" - The landscape and its surrounding neighborhood was occasionally featured in episodes of the Don Johnson cop series.
*"Journeyman (TV series)" -- In the episode "Game Three", Dan Vasser winds up at the Palace of Fine Arts many times when he travels back in time to the day of the Loma Prieta earthquake

Video Games
*Sim City 2000, Sim City 3000 Unlimited, and Sim City 4 feature this building as an optional landmark.

Fiction
*In S.M. Stirling's alternate history book, Conquistador, the Gate Control Commission headquarters contains an exact replica of the rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts--but constructed in stone, or at least faced in stone.

ee also

*49-Mile Scenic Drive

References

External links

* [http://www.exploratorium.edu/history/palace/ History of the Palace of Fine Arts]
* [http://businessimagegroup.com/sfimages/history/PPIE.html Historical Photography of the Panama Pacific International Exposition]
* [http://www.photography.mattfield.com/sf_palaceoffinearts_qtvr.mov QTVR virtual tour] (requires quicktime)