Palace of Fine Arts Exploratorium, San Francisco

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When you're in this area of San Francisco it's hard not to notice this standout piece of architecture. However, the most extraordinary thing about it is that, like the Eiffel Tower, it wasn't meant to last.
No indeed, it was merely a temporary building constructed as part of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Architect Bernard Maybeck chose a Roman ruin as his theme, crumbling before the elements as in a Pirenese engraving. The Commissioners were bedazzled; the hall covered some three acres of ground.
The essentially Corinthian colonnade was framed in wood and then covered with staff (a mixture of plaster and burlap-type fibre). So too was the Romanesque rotunda. Staff was the ideal material for a building of this kind; it was completely pliable and various finishes could make it appear like stone or marble. Although constructed to achieve mood, the Palace was rescued from any danger of superficiality by a firm underlying geometric pattern.

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The Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco just 9 years after the devastating 1906 earthquake. The structures here, as they were at many of the expositions and world's fairs, were not made to be permanent structures, only built to last until the end of the expo, so the original structure was made of "staff", a mixture of plaster and burlap fiber.

The movement to preserve this one building started in October 1915 and it was the only building left after the rest of the expo was dismantled. Over the years though weather and neglect made the building unusable but the preservation effort was taken back up in the 1950s and by the mid 70s it had been restored. Today it houses the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre and the Exploratorium.

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Weather.com let me down once again, the beautiful sunny prediction for our stay in San Francisco was true for Thursday and Friday but early Saturday morning there was a huge thunderstorm and it continued to rain that morning so we scanned our guidebook for crappy weather activities and decided on the Exploratorium, a museum of science, art and human perception. While you might be inclined to think this place is just for kids, we ended up staying for several hours. It was only my gnawing hunger that made us leave or we could have stayed for another two hours.

This is a really hands on museum and there are all kinds of scientifically based activities that are fun for both kids and adults who never bothered to grow up. One of my favorites was trying to trace something while looking in a mirror, not as easy as it sounds. And I loved the screen that made us look like we were in the A ha "Take on Me" video.

If you want to visit the Tactile Dome, there's an additional $3 charge and reservations are highly recommended, it was closed for our visit and it sounded like it was closed for maintenance for all of September.

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If you are a big fan of the movie 'Vertigo' you will recognize this building as a background shot when Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak were taking a stroll in the park. This is a gorgous park, and the fine arts building is a artistic wonder. This is a beautiful building, built with a Greek flair. Fellow photo buffs will absolutley love shooting in this area. Have fun shooters!

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The Palace of Fine Arts (designed for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition) is a favorite backdrop for a wedding photoshoot. It's easy to see why - lovely gardens, romantic fountain, and historic building.

Mom and I had a fun time feeding the birds (I mean scaring them away) and watching the graceful swans in the pond.

Nearby is the science exploratorium/museum where kids can learn a lot.

Note: This historic building is need of repair so a huge section was cordoned off to tourists.

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The Palace of Fine Arts was originally constructed as a temporary structure for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition.

The Exhibition Hall houses one of the most unusual museus in the world.
more on this later

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Exploratorium is an interactive science museum for KIDS mostly. Save $14 on a Wednesday visit.
Adults can enjoy the artificial lake and Roman columns nearby.
LOCATION: 3601 Lyon Street.
HOURS: 10am-5pm.
DIRECTIONS: From downtown take bus #30 at Stockton/Sacramento Str, get off at Broderick/Beach.

SF Zoo is free that day as well. Save $11.
LOCATION: Sloat Blvd at 47th Ave.
HOURS: 10am- 5pm.
NOTE: Since it is located near the Golden Gate Park, you may want to visit Japanese Tea Garden (entrance fee $4) for a free guided tour at 1pm (meet at the main gate).

Museo Italoamericano is free as well.
LOCATION: Fort Mason Center, Building C
HOURS: 12-4pm.

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The Palace of Fine Arts was constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition by architect Bernard R. Maybeck. It was built to resemble overgrown Roman ruins while still functioning as a museum. Its early years were spent as an art museum, but in 1934 it was modified to house eight tennis courts. During World War II the decaying palace was used by the US army to store vehicles, and these vehicles were used by the newly created United Nations, which was first established in San Francisco.

In 1964 the original Palace of Fine Arts was completely demolished and rebuilt over the next several years. During construction no permanent use of the new palace had been determined until 1968 when University of Colorado physics professor Frank Oppenheimer suggested it be used for the study of science and technology. The museum opened in 1969 and grew rapidly until its expansion in 1980. Oppenheimer was the first director for the museum and continued in this role until his death in 1985.

Interestingly, Oppenheimer was also a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project which developed the first atomic bombs. His brother Robert Oppenheimer was the director of the Manhattan Project and the first director of Los Alamos National Laboratories. Oppenheimer was an admitted communist party member and was investigated after World War II for possibly leaking nuclear secrets to the USSR.

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This is a must see. It's such a beautiful structure and I think it's very relaxing to walk amongst the structures and just admiring it. It's also a great spot for photographs and the only limitations are you imagination. Take a seat at one of the many benches around the pond and people watch. There's a whole variety of people there, tourists, locals, grand parents and grandchildren, wedding parties, prom dates in formal wear...

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Exploratorium is an interactive science museum which is worth paying a visit to regardless if you have to pay ($14) or not.
LOCATION: 3601 Lyon Street.
HOURS: 10am-5pm.
DIRECTIONS: From downtown take bus #30 at Stockton/Sacramento Str, get off at Broderick/Beach.