Fine Architecture In The San Francisco Bay Area

Architecture can become a passion. It is why some individuals seek to find apartments for sale in the San Francisco Bay Area. They want to be close to certain examples of the past. The Marina District, sitting on the Bay, is one such section of the city that has commanded attention over the years. It includes some classic and noteworthy examples of early 20th century architecture.

Architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area

Architecture in San Francisco is a unique blend of the centuries of style. It combines the different influences of those who arrived in the city. The Marina District in the San Francisco Bay Area provides examples mainly from the 1920s onward. The original structures were leveled to make way for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE). Later, in addition to a park – Marian Green, a developer put up a few houses and many apartments – a characteristic that lingers today where you find more apartments for sale than homes.

Unfortunately, since the buildings were constructed on landfill, many were destroyed during the 1989 earthquake. Today, you can view some older examples such as:

1. The San Francisco Light and Gas Company (1893)
2. St. Francis Yacht Club (1928)
3. The Presidio
4. The Golden Gate Bridge

Yet, along with the wealthy homes in the region, many visitors come to gaze at one structure – The Palace of Fine Arts.

Palace of Fine Arts

A popular tourist stop and a destination for many school trips, the Palace of Fine Arts is a renewal and reconstruction of the older structure to suit a very different function. In fact, even in 2014, this structure constructed in 1915 for the PPIE is undergoing internal changes. Even with the Exploratorium now gone to larger premises, it will still carry on. No matter who the tenants are in 2015, it will host a large exhibition for its centennial.

The architecture is Neo-Classical. Bernard R. Maybeck, a San Francisco Bay area architect, wanted to recreate not only the Neo-Classical style, but the sense of Romanticism (sadness) that he and others associated it. It stands, therefore, an example of a Rotunda – the dome supported by an octagonal arcade, flanked by an open-air peristyle consisting of elegantly carved Corinthian columns. Constructed originally of wood – because it was to be demolished shortly after the Exposition, it has since been rebuilt and reconstructed to withstand time and earthquakes. The first time was in 1964; the second in 2003.

Today, a graceful copy of the original design stands solidly in place. It is truly a lesson in survival. It is something to gaze at and enjoy, if you are so lucky as to find the right apartments for sale in the San Francisco Bay Area.