Born out of a grand, celebratory architectural scheme, the CIVIC CENTER, a little ways southwest of the Tenderloin, is an impressive layout of majestic federal and municipal Beaux Arts buildings focusing on the grand dome of City Hall, designed by Arthur Brown and completed in 1915, just in time for the Panama Pacific International Exhibition. The complex surrounding City Hall is a watered-down version of planner Daniel Burnham’s ambitious schemes for the city, which would have seen grand avenues fanning out across San Francisco, including one extending to the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park. Drawn up with the help of architect Willis Polk, the plans won the wholehearted approval of city leaders, only to be delayed by the massive earthquake and fire of 1906. Political difficulties after the quake delayed the project further, and although Burnham doggedly pursued his vision of a “City Beautiful,” the project was only finished after his death. He no doubt would be saddened by the complex today: it’s still a fine collection of buildings, but the elegant layout has become the focus of San Francisco’s most glaring social problem – the homeless.

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