Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. It was built to have the feel of an overgrown Roman ruin, and they had not built it to last as they had expected to tear it down once the Exposition was over. However, the city of San Francisco developed such love for the Palace of Fine Arts that they decided to keep it.
The Palace required a fair of amount of upkeep, though, and by the 50s it became obvious that the original construction would not last. Caspar Weinberger, an assemblyman at the time, and a number of influential San Franciscans rallied to collect donations for reconstruction of the Palace. Their efforts paid off as most of the original structure was torn down and reconstruction started in 1964, at a cost of ten times the original. Today, the Palace of Fine Arts remains a beautiful picturesque oasis that lures tourists in with its simplistic beauty.
In addition to hosting art exhibitions, it remains a popular attraction for tourists and locals, and is a favorite location for weddings and wedding party photographs for couples throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and such an icon that a miniature replica of it was built in Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim.
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