See historic San Francisco government buildings, study ancient artefacts and visit renowned performing arts institutions in this cultural district.
San Francisco’s Civic Centre contains many of the city’s cultural institutions and historic buildings. Survey the grand City Hall, built in the early 20th century and regarded as the centerpiece of the district. Other attractions include an art museum displaying works from Asia’s diverse cultures and an enchanting theatre that stages world-class musical productions.
As its name implies, this neighbourhood is home to several notable government institutions, such as San Francisco’s Supreme Court of California, the San Francisco Public Library and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Explore the district’s two main plazas, the Civic Centre Plaza and the United Nations Plaza. Civic Centre Plaza is a great place to view some of the area’s imposing classical-style architecture, while the United Nations Plaza hosts a popular semiweekly farmers market.
Book tickets for musical performances at the Orpheum Theatre on Civic Centre’s southern border. Inside, high, white vaulted ceilings give the theatre a cathedral-like appearance.
Tour San Francisco City Hall, one of the most recognisable landmarks in Civic Centre. This impressive structure was completed in 1915 after an earthquake destroyed the original building in 1906. The magnificent dome is said to have been inspired by Mansart’s Baroque dome of the Val-de-Grâce church in Paris. Find other landmarks, including the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Centre, just a short walk from here.
Bordering the Civic Centre Plaza to the east is the acclaimed Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, which features more than 18,000 artworks in its permanent collection. Some pieces are more than 6,000 years old while more than 1,000 works date from the last 55 years, making this one of the most comprehensive Asian art collections in the western world. Examine ancient religious sculptures, military artefacts, paintings and other objects.
Civic Centre is located about 14 miles (23 kilometres) from San Francisco International Airport. Find several large parking lots in the area. Stay in nearby luxury hotels and less expensive self-catered apartments.
Enjoy culture and grandiose architecture in San Francisco’s Civic Centre.
![The Civic Center in San Francisco, California, is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city's largest government and cultural institutions. It has two large plazas (Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza) and a number of buildings in classical architectural style. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly the Exposition Auditorium),[5] the United Nations Charter was signed in the War Memorial Veterans Building's Herbst Theatre in 1945, leading to the creation of the United Nations. It is also where the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco](https://images.trvl-media.com/place/3132/5b7f94cb-326d-49f7-ba06-2cd465877ca8.jpg?impolicy=fcrop&w=900&h=506&q=mediumHigh)
