The Palace of Fine Arts located in the Marina District of San Francisco was one of several structures constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition which commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal and also served to demonstrate the recovery of the city following the great earthquake and fire of 1906. The buildings constructed for the Expo weren't intended to last long term and so were built from flimsy materials such as timber, plaster and burlap. Most of the constructions were torn down post-exposition but the PFA was retained being used for various purposes, including as truck storage for the military during World War 2.
Mostly demolished in 1964, it was rebuilt by 1974 using steel and concrete and by 2009 had been re-engineered further making it more earthquake-resistant. At night the structure is floodlit.
The photograph is a multi-shot composite image but a true representation of the scene as I saw it in early October this year. I've chosen to present the image as a lightly sepia-toned monochrome. ~KD.
