San Francisco City Hall is undoubtedly one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the city. Its 307-feet-high dome is one of the largest domes in the world and, with a difference of about 19 feet, surpasses in height even that of the Capitol in Washington. Let’s find out more about San Francisco City Hall and how to visit it.
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San Francisco City Hall History
San Francisco City Hall is also known as People’s Place. The large building you see today dates back to 1915 and is the second City Hall; in fact, the first one was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1906. In 1913, work began to rebuild City Hall following the designs of Arthur Brown Jr., the same architect who designed the Coit Tower, the federal offices at 50 United Nations Plaza, and the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.
After two years and at a cost of $3.4 million (the equivalent of nearly $100 million today), the majestic San Francisco City Hall opened to the public on July 28, 1916. The building occupies two blocks and is approximately 495,000 square feet in size. Among its distinguishing features are its enormous dome, its grand and elegant staircase, and its exterior and interior lighting.
Directions
San Francisco City Hall is located at 1 Dr Carlton B. Goodlett PIace in San Francisco’s Civic Center neighborhood. The main entrance is right on Dr Carlton B. Goodlett Place between McAllister Street and Grove Street. To enter the facility you will have to go through security and metal detectors. Remember that should you have large bags or suitcases with you, you will have to enter through the entrance on Grove Street.
The nearest stop for MUNI and BART is the Civic Center Station. The station is served by the blue, green, yellow and red subway lines.
If you are traveling by car, you can leave it at the Civic Center Garage on McAllister Street between Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place and Larkin Street, or at places along Van Ness Avenue, McAllister, Grove Street and Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, payable at the meters. If you are on a bike, there are places to leave it on the sidewalks near the entrances to City Hall.
Depending on how you have decided to get around, I would like to point you to 2 insight articles that you might find useful:
Opening Hours and Tours
San Francisco City Hall is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. On holidays, City Hall is generally closed.
Every Friday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. there are tours of approximately one hour to visit City Hall and learn more about this beautiful building. If you would like more information or would like to make a reservation, you can call +1 415-554-6139 or go to the Docent Tour Kiosk located in the Goodlett Lobby.
San Franncisco City Hall Visit
The most important room in San Francisco City Hall is certainly the one under the dome, called the Rotunda. Its floor is made of pink Tennessee marble with an intricate pattern that flows towards the grand staircase. The dome inside is adorned with carved Greek mythological images and four medallions created by sculptor Henri Crenier: the medallions of Equality, Freedom, Strength and Learning. On the east side you can also admire Father Time: the carved stone depicts Time with History on the left and Future on the right. Also particularly valuable are the inlaid wooden ceilings, carpets and textiles that adorn the meeting rooms and the mayor’s office in Room 200.
While the interior is particularly beautiful, it must be said that the place is also famous for its outdoor lighting. Every evening at dusk, more than 200 LED bulbs illuminate the exterior of City Hall. Usually, the lights are white in color but in conjunction with special events, celebrations or holidays the lights can change color. To see what color the building will be on the day you visit, just go to the official website where you will find the updated calendar with dates, celebrations and their respective colors. The building stands majestically in front of the Civic Center Plaza garden and a number of statues and monuments such as the Pioneer Monument, centrally located between the Asian Art Museum and the San Francisco Public Library.
The huge and majestic building that houses San Francisco City Hall has appeared in countless films and is also renowned for the famous weddings that have taken place inside: most famously perhaps that of Marilyn Monroe and Joe Di Maggio. Even today, if you want a sumptuous venue in perfect Neoclassical style with exaggeratedly colored interior lighting where you can celebrate your wedding, this is the place for you! In fact, its lobby with a breathtaking staircase and its halls are very often chosen as a location for weddings, events, conferences and conventions.
Famous Movies Filmed at San Francisco City Hall
Films that have been filmed at San Francisco City Hall include:
- 1971 Inspector Callaghan: The Scorpio Case is Yours! starring Clint Eastwood;
- 1974’s The Towering Inferno with Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain and numerous other famous actors; and
- 1978 Terror from Deep Space by Philip Kaufman
- 1985 007 – Moving Target of 1985, the last film with Roger Moore as James Bond
- 1999 Bicentennial Man with the very talented Robin Williams. During the filming of this movie, however, the 10,000-watt spotlights used set off the fire sprinkler system that caused much damage inside the building.
- 2008 Milk starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to political office in the United States and who was murdered in 1978 just inside City Hall along with Mayor George Moscone. You can see a bust of Harvey Milk in the Ceremonial Rotunda outside the Board of Supervisor room and one of George Moscone and Dianne Feinstein, who was mayor from 1978 to 1988, in the Mayor’s ceremonial rotunda.
Not only assassinations inside San Francisco City Hall. Indeed, historic political decisions have been made within these beautifully decorated walls, and it was here, for example, that the first same-sex marriage was celebrated in 2004.
Where to Stay in the Area
San Francisco City Hall is only a 20-minute walk from the famous Union Square, full of monuments and things to see, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In addition, the San Francisco Cable Car Museum is only a 30-minute walk away. For this reason, staying in this area is definitely a good choice, also because being in the city center you will be able to get around easily by public transportation and reach the other neighborhoods of San Francisco only a little further away.
If you want to learn more about the characteristics of the city’s various neighborhoods, don’t miss our article on where to stay in San Francisco with tips on the various areas of the city and recommended hotels.
