Palace of Fine Arts Theatre Theater

The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, and designed to serve as an art gallery. Tucked into the Marina District, the Palace is one of only a few remaining structures from the Exposition.

While the original structure was bulldozed, the building was recreated in its previous image as closely as possible. Originally designed by Bernard Maybeck, who modeled the monumental structure after Greek and Roman architecture, it remains the only structure still left on its original site from the Exposition.

Over the years there have been a slew of different functions and events at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. From 1934 to 1942, the exhibition hall contained eighteen lighted tennis courts; during the Great Depression, W.P.A. artists were hired to create artwork in place of the murals by Robert Reid in the rotunda; and during World War II the military took it over for the storage of trucks and jeeps. Since 1947, The Palace has also served as a Parks Department warehouse, a flag and tent storage depot, a temporary Fire Department headquarters, and even a telephone book distribution center.