Civic Center, San Francisco, California
Encyclopedia
The Civic Center in San Francisco, California
, is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city's largest government and cultural institutions. It has two large plazas (Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza) and a number of buildings in classical architectural style. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
(formerly the Exposition Auditorium) is one of the few remaining buildings from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The United Nations Charter
was signed in the War Memorial Veterans Building's Herbst Theatre
in 1945, leading to the creation of the United Nations
. It is also where the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco
(the peace treaty
that officially ended the Pacific War
with the Empire of Japan
, which had surrendered in 1945) was signed. The San Francisco Civic Center was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1987.
neighborhood on the north and east and by the Hayes Valley neighborhood on the west; Market Street separates it from the South of Market or "SoMa" neighborhood.
. It was planned and rebuilt in its current layout by noted architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham
, whose plans for a neo-classical
Civic Center was to serve as the centerpiece of a similar theme for the rest of the rebuilt city as part of the "City Beautiful" movement. However, the Civic Center was the only part of his plans actually to be constructed.
The current City Hall and the Exposition Auditorium were completed in 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The War Memorial Opera House and its neighboring twin, the War Memorial Veterans Building (which together were the nucleus of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center
), the Main Library, and the State and Old Federal buildings would be built later, during the 1920s and 1930s.
During World War II
, Army barracks and Victory garden
s were constructed in the main plaza in front of City Hall and the Library. The 1950s through the 1970s and 1980s saw tall post-modernist Federal and State buildings constructed in the area; an underground exhibition facility, Brooks Hall, was built beneath the Civic Center Plaza in 1958. The Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
and Harold L. Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall were added in 1980. The 1990s saw the construction of a new Main Library with the conversion of the old Main Library building into the Asian Art Museum, and the removal of all public benches. In 1998, the city officially renamed part of the plaza the Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza after the former mayor.
Its central location, vast open space, and the collection of government buildings have made and continue to make Civic Center the scene of massive political rallies. It has been the scene of massive anti-war protests
and rallies since the Korean War
. It was also the scene of major moments of the Gay Rights Movement. Activist Harvey Milk
held rallies and gave speeches there. After his assassination on November 27, 1978, a massive candlelight vigil
was held there. Later, it was the scene of the White Night Riots
in response to the lenient sentencing of Dan White
, Milk's assassin. Recently, Civic Center was the center point of the Gay Marriage activism, as Mayor Gavin Newsom
married couples there.
, which heads the complex and takes up two city blocks on Polk Street
. The section of the street in front of the building was renamed Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, a local African American activist. Across the street on McAllister Street is the headquarters of the Supreme Court of California
. Across from that building is the Asian Art Museum
, opened in 2004 in the former building of the San Francisco Library which is now in a newer building
constructed in 1995.
West of City Hall on Van Ness Avenue is the War Memorial Opera House, where the U.N. Charter
was signed in 1945 and the Treaty of San Francisco
was signed in 1951. To that building's left is the Davies Symphony Hall
, to its right the Herbst Theatre
.
North of City Hall is the Phillip Burton Federal Building
and United States Courthouse for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and State of California office buildings. South of the main Civic Center complex on nearby Mission Street
, is the head courthouse of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
which sits across from a newly constructed Federal Building complex.
A monument to James Lick
and the Manifest Destiny
is located in the middle of Fulton Street between the Library and the Asian Art Museum. The section of Fulton Street between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets has been pedestrianized
and re-developed into a monument for the United Nations
and the signing of the UN Charter in 1975, when the Bay Area Rapid Transit
subway was constructed under Market Street. The 2.6 acres (10,521.8 m²) pedestrian mall was designed by Lawrence Halprin
. It was rededicated in June 1995, by visiting members of the UN General Assembly as part of its 60th anniversary, and renovated and rededicated again in 2005 during the World Environment Day event. Presently, it is the scene of a small farmers' market
as well as a large equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar
.
Because the Civic Center is located near the skid row
Tenderloin neighborhood, Civic Center has a seedy, run-down, high crime reputation and appearance with large amounts of Homeless encampments which has prevented it from attracting the large amounts of tourists seen in other areas of the city. Despite repeated redevelopment of Civic Center over the years aimed primarily at discouraging the homeless from camping there, large amounts of homeless continue to camp and loiter in the area.
Despite such a reputation, its central location also makes it the center of many of the City's festivals and parades. Many of the cities street parades and parties from San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade
, to its St. Patrick's Day parade, to San Francisco's version of the Love Parade
, the San Francisco LovEvolution party are held at Civic Center.
Civic Center Station
is a subway
stop for both BART
and the Muni Metro
. The F Market
historic streetcar line and many Muni
bus lines run nearby.
The Fox Plaza
condominium complex is also located nearby.
In December of 2010, a set of innovative wind and solar hybrid streetlamps provided by Urban Green Energy
were installed as part of the center's vision for sustainability.
, the private The Art Institute of California – San Francisco and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city's largest government and cultural institutions. It has two large plazas (Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza) and a number of buildings in classical architectural style. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, currently named after promoter Bill Graham...
(formerly the Exposition Auditorium) is one of the few remaining buildings from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
was signed in the War Memorial Veterans Building's Herbst Theatre
Herbst Theatre
The Herbst Theatre is an auditorium in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in Civic Center in San Francisco, United States. The 928-seat hall hosts programs as diverse as City Arts & Lectures, SF Jazz, and San Francisco Performances....
in 1945, leading to the creation of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. It is also where the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
(the peace treaty
Peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
that officially ended the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
with the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, which had surrendered in 1945) was signed. The San Francisco Civic Center was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1987.
Location
The Civic Center is bounded by Market Street on the south, Franklin Street on the west, Turk Street on the north, and Leavenworth and Seventh streets on the east. The Civic Center is bounded by the TenderloinTenderloin, San Francisco, California
The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, California, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, nestled between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest...
neighborhood on the north and east and by the Hayes Valley neighborhood on the west; Market Street separates it from the South of Market or "SoMa" neighborhood.
History
The Civic Center was built in the early 20th century as home to a massive City Hall and Hall of Records, both of which were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. It was planned and rebuilt in its current layout by noted architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
, whose plans for a neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
Civic Center was to serve as the centerpiece of a similar theme for the rest of the rebuilt city as part of the "City Beautiful" movement. However, the Civic Center was the only part of his plans actually to be constructed.
The current City Hall and the Exposition Auditorium were completed in 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The War Memorial Opera House and its neighboring twin, the War Memorial Veterans Building (which together were the nucleus of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center
San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center
The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center is located in San Francisco, California, and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. It covers three hectares in San Francisco's Civic Center Historic District with 7,500 seats in its several venues...
), the Main Library, and the State and Old Federal buildings would be built later, during the 1920s and 1930s.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Army barracks and Victory garden
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
s were constructed in the main plaza in front of City Hall and the Library. The 1950s through the 1970s and 1980s saw tall post-modernist Federal and State buildings constructed in the area; an underground exhibition facility, Brooks Hall, was built beneath the Civic Center Plaza in 1958. The Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the concert hall component of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, was built in 1980 at a cost of US$28 million to give the San Francisco Symphony a permanent home. The hall has a seating capacity of 2743 persons...
and Harold L. Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall were added in 1980. The 1990s saw the construction of a new Main Library with the conversion of the old Main Library building into the Asian Art Museum, and the removal of all public benches. In 1998, the city officially renamed part of the plaza the Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza after the former mayor.
Its central location, vast open space, and the collection of government buildings have made and continue to make Civic Center the scene of massive political rallies. It has been the scene of massive anti-war protests
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
and rallies since the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. It was also the scene of major moments of the Gay Rights Movement. Activist Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
held rallies and gave speeches there. After his assassination on November 27, 1978, a massive candlelight vigil
Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. In the latter case, the...
was held there. Later, it was the scene of the White Night Riots
White Night Riots
The White Night riots were a series of violent events sparked by an announcement of the lenient sentencing of Dan White, for the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. The events took place on the night of May 21, 1979 in San Francisco...
in response to the lenient sentencing of Dan White
Dan White
Daniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
, Milk's assassin. Recently, Civic Center was the center point of the Gay Marriage activism, as Mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
married couples there.
Attractions and characteristics
The centerpiece of the Civic Center is the City HallSan Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall, re-opened in 1915, in its open space area in the city's Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the 1880s to 1917. The structure's dome is the fifth largest in the world...
, which heads the complex and takes up two city blocks on Polk Street
Polk Street
Polk Street is a street in San Francisco, California, that travels northward from Market Street to Beach Street and is one of the main thoroughfares of the Polk Gulch neighborhood traversing through the Tenderloin, Nob Hill, and Russian Hill neighborhoods. The street takes its name from former U.S....
. The section of the street in front of the building was renamed Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, a local African American activist. Across the street on McAllister Street is the headquarters of the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
. Across from that building is the Asian Art Museum
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is a museum in San Francisco, California, United States. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world....
, opened in 2004 in the former building of the San Francisco Library which is now in a newer building
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
constructed in 1995.
West of City Hall on Van Ness Avenue is the War Memorial Opera House, where the U.N. Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
was signed in 1945 and the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
was signed in 1951. To that building's left is the Davies Symphony Hall
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the concert hall component of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, was built in 1980 at a cost of US$28 million to give the San Francisco Symphony a permanent home. The hall has a seating capacity of 2743 persons...
, to its right the Herbst Theatre
Herbst Theatre
The Herbst Theatre is an auditorium in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in Civic Center in San Francisco, United States. The 928-seat hall hosts programs as diverse as City Arts & Lectures, SF Jazz, and San Francisco Performances....
.
North of City Hall is the Phillip Burton Federal Building
Phillip Burton Federal Building
The Phillip Burton Federal Building is a massive 21 floor, federal office building located close to San Francisco's Civic Center and the San Francisco City Hall. The building was finished in 1959, one of the earliest office towers for San Francisco....
and United States Courthouse for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and State of California office buildings. South of the main Civic Center complex on nearby Mission Street
Mission Street
Mission Street is a north-south arterial thoroughfare in San Francisco, California that runs from the city's southern border to its northeast corner. The street and the Mission District through which it runs were named for the Spanish Mission Dolores, several blocks away from the modern route. Only...
, is the head courthouse of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
which sits across from a newly constructed Federal Building complex.
A monument to James Lick
James Lick
James Lick was an American carpenter, piano builder, land baron, and patron of the sciences. At the time of his death, he was the wealthiest man in California, and left the majority of his estate to social and scientific causes.-Early years:James Lick was born in Stumpstown Pennsylvania on August...
and the Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
is located in the middle of Fulton Street between the Library and the Asian Art Museum. The section of Fulton Street between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets has been pedestrianized
Pedestrian mall
Pedestrian malls in the United States are also known as pedestrian streets and are the most common form of pedestrian zone in large cities in the United States. It is a street lined with storefronts and closed off to most automobile traffic...
and re-developed into a monument for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and the signing of the UN Charter in 1975, when the Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
subway was constructed under Market Street. The 2.6 acres (10,521.8 m²) pedestrian mall was designed by Lawrence Halprin
Lawrence Halprin
Lawrence Halprin was an influential American landscape architect, designer and teacher.Beginning his career in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, in 1949, Halprin often collaborated with a local circle of modernist architects on relatively modest projects. These figures included William...
. It was rededicated in June 1995, by visiting members of the UN General Assembly as part of its 60th anniversary, and renovated and rededicated again in 2005 during the World Environment Day event. Presently, it is the scene of a small farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
as well as a large equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
.
Because the Civic Center is located near the skid row
Skid row
A skid row or skid road is a run-down or dilapidated urban area with a large, impoverished population. The term originally referred literally to a path along which working men skidded logs. Its current sense appears to have originated in the Pacific Northwest...
Tenderloin neighborhood, Civic Center has a seedy, run-down, high crime reputation and appearance with large amounts of Homeless encampments which has prevented it from attracting the large amounts of tourists seen in other areas of the city. Despite repeated redevelopment of Civic Center over the years aimed primarily at discouraging the homeless from camping there, large amounts of homeless continue to camp and loiter in the area.
Despite such a reputation, its central location also makes it the center of many of the City's festivals and parades. Many of the cities street parades and parties from San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade
San Francisco Pride
The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration, usually known as San Francisco Pride, is a parade and festival held in June each year in San Francisco to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies...
, to its St. Patrick's Day parade, to San Francisco's version of the Love Parade
Love Parade
The Love Parade was a popular electronic dance music festival and parade that originated in 1989 in West Berlin, Germany. It was held in Germany annually between 1989 and 2003 in Berlin, and then from 2006 to 2010 in the Ruhr region...
, the San Francisco LovEvolution party are held at Civic Center.
Civic Center Station
Civic Center Station (San Francisco)
Civic Center/UN Plaza Station is a Muni Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit station near the Civic Center in downtown San Francisco, California. It is along the Market Street Subway below Market Street between Seventh Street and Eighth Street...
is a subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
stop for both BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
and the Muni Metro
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
. The F Market
F Market
The F Market & Wharves line is one of several light rail lines in San Francisco, California. Unlike the other lines, the F line is operated as a heritage streetcar service, using exclusively historic equipment both from San Francisco's retired fleet as well as from cities around the world...
historic streetcar line and many Muni
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
bus lines run nearby.
The Fox Plaza
Fox Plaza (San Francisco)
Archstone Fox Plaza is a 29-story building located at 1390 Market Street in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. Built in 1966, the tower stands on the site of the former historic Fox Theatre at 1350 Market, which was opened in June 1929 and demolished in 1963.The first twelve floors contain...
condominium complex is also located nearby.
In December of 2010, a set of innovative wind and solar hybrid streetlamps provided by Urban Green Energy
Urban Green Energy
Urban Green Energy is a small wind turbine manufacturer, founded in 2007. UGE specializes in the design, manufacturing, and testing of vertical axis wind turbines, which it primarily markets as distributed energy solutions for homes and businesses...
were installed as part of the center's vision for sustainability.
Educational institutions
Civic Center has three Universities located there; the University of California, Hastings College of the LawUniversity of California, Hastings College of the Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law is a public law school in San Francisco, California, located in the Civic Center neighborhood....
, the private The Art Institute of California – San Francisco and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music
See also
- 49-Mile Scenic Drive49-Mile Scenic DriveThe 49-Mile Scenic Drive in San Francisco highlights many of the city's major attractions and historic structures.Opened on September 14, 1938 as a promotion for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, it...
- Bernard J.S. CahillBernard J.S. CahillB.J.S. Cahill , cartographer and architect, was the inventor of the octahedral "Butterfly Map" ; an early proponent of the San Francisco Civic Center ; and designer of the Columbarium of San Francisco.His Butterfly World Map, like Buckminster Fuller's later Dymaxion Map of 1943 and 1954, enabled all...
External links
- Photo tour of Civic Center A photo tour of Civic Center complete with narrative text.