@margaretrussell

class="content__text" The colonnade at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts the other evening, which capped off an amazing day with one of my nephews. Architect @leemindel said it was a must-see, and I realized I’d never been. Though impressive during the day, it was otherworldly—if not rather eerie—at night. The lagoon, classical colonnade, and a gorgeous rotunda are part of a historic monumental installation designed by celebrated SF architect Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific exhibition. After falling into disrepair, the site was reconstructed in the 1960s and ‘70s and then restored and seismically retrofitted in the early 2000s; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Now beautifully illuminated, the rotunda and colonnade are dazzling relics—I can’t wait to return to see it all, though maybe next time before the sun goes down. @thepalacefinearts #palaceoffinearts #sanfrancisco #architect #bernardmaybeck #bayarea #classical #beauxarts #landmark #colonnade #preservation #restoration #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces

February 05, 2023