Palace of Fine Arts

For nine months in 1915, the Presidio's bayfront and much of today's Marina District was the site of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, where visitors could enjoy all kinds of attractions from the Palace of Machinery to a replica of the Greek Parthenon.

The Palace of Fine Arts was one of the structures built for the event, meant to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and announce San Francisco's recovery after the devastating earthquake and subsequent fire of 1906. Today, it's the only remaining major structure from that event, though it's had several facelifts. For more information, visit the Palace of Fine Arts website .