San Francisco Neighborhoods · Civic Center
Civic Center
Sun zoneSan Francisco's grand Beaux-Arts heart — a monumental plaza ringed by the gilded-dome City Hall, world-class opera and symphony, and the city's great library.
- Beaux-Arts grandeur
- Arts and culture hub
- Major BART/Muni hub
- Walk to City Hall
On the map
Open Civic Center on the map →The story
After the 1906 earthquake and fire leveled the area, San Francisco rebuilt it as a 'City Beautiful' showpiece — a unified Beaux-Arts civic complex of monumental buildings framing a formal plaza. The centerpiece, City Hall, opened in 1915 with a gilded dome rising about 301 feet, taller than the U.S. Capitol's. Over following decades the surrounding Performing Arts district took shape, anchored by the War Memorial Opera House (1932) and, later, Davies Symphony Hall. In 1945 delegates of fifty nations met here, adopting the United Nations Charter at the Opera House and signing it next door at the War Memorial's Herbst Theatre.
Things most people don’t know
A dome taller than the Capitol
City Hall's gilded Beaux-Arts dome rises about 301 feet, higher than the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Birthplace of the U.N.
The United Nations Charter was adopted at the War Memorial Opera House and signed at the adjacent Herbst Theatre in June 1945.
A grand main library
The San Francisco Main Library at 100 Larkin St opened in 1996 with over 376,000 square feet across seven floors.
Asian art treasure house
The Asian Art Museum holds one of the world's most comprehensive collections of Asian art, in the former Main Library building.
Opera, symphony and ballet
The War Memorial Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall make Civic Center the city's performing-arts district.
Eating and drinking near Civic Center
Civic Center is primarily residential — these sit in Hayes Valley, Tenderloin.
Restaurants
- Zuni Café · 1658 Market St
- Rich Table · 199 Gough St
- Absinthe Brasserie & Bar · 398 Hayes St
- Brenda's French Soul Food · 652 Polk St
Bars
- Smuggler's Cove · 650 Gough St
- Birba · 458 Grove St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. Civic Center/UN Plaza Station serves BART (all lines through downtown) and Muni Metro lines J, K, L, M and N at Market and 8th Streets. Many Muni bus and trolley lines run on Market, Van Ness and Polk.
Nearest hospital. UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital, 900 Hyde St (about 0.8 mi)
Thinking about Civic Center?
Send me an address and I will come back with its sun, wind and fog, what is under it, and what has closed on the block.