The Presidio of San Francisco stands out for its hundreds of historic structures and dense, wooded landscape spread across the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. This land served as a military post for three different nations,…
Historic San Francisco Landmarks
This tour traces San Francisco's evolution from its Spanish colonial origins and gold rush expansion to key modern political and social movements.
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1. Presidio of San Francisco
2. Alcatraz Island
The massive, concrete cell block rising from the center of the island is the dominant feature of Alcatraz. Once a military fortification, the site transitioned into a federal penitentiary that operated from nineteen thirty-four to nineteen…
3. Portsmouth Square Park
Portsmouth Square is defined by its tiered design featuring red-painted columns and curved, tiled roofs that rise above the surrounding street level. This one-block space is the oldest public plaza in San Francisco, dating back to eighteen…
4. Ferry Building
The Ferry Building is defined by its two-hundred-forty-five-foot clock tower, which features a crown inspired by the twelfth-century Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain. Completed in eighteen ninety-eight, this Beaux-Arts structure was…
5. Lotta's Fountain
Lotta’s Fountain stands on a pedestrian island at the intersection of Market, Geary, and Kearny streets. It is a cast iron monument, eighteen feet tall, decorated with lion heads, griffins, and bronze medallions showing scenes from the…
6. San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall is defined by a massive, copper-clad dome that rises three hundred and seven feet above the ground, making it forty-two feet taller than the dome of the United States Capitol. Completed in nineteen fifteen, the…
7. War Memorial Opera House
The War Memorial Opera House is defined by its stately Beaux-Arts façade, featuring tall, paired columns and a grand, colonnaded entrance that reflects the style of ancient Roman temples. Opened in nineteen thirty-two, this building was…
8. Mission of San Francisco de Asis
The Misión San Francisco de Asís, commonly called Mission Dolores, is the oldest intact building in San Francisco. You can identify the site by the contrast between its small, white-washed adobe chapel and the towering stone basilica…
9. Queer Arts Featured
The storefront at five seventy-five Castro Street is distinguished by its history as the former site of Castro Camera, where Harvey Milk operated his business and organized his campaign for San Francisco supervisor in the nineteen…