After the Expo, most of the buildings were demolished. However, the Palace was so beloved that a Palace Preservation League was founded by Phoebe Apperson Hearst while the Expo was still in progress, and so it was saved from demolition. From 1915 until 1964, it was used for various purposes, including:
* An art exhibition
* 18 lighted tennis courts
* Storage of trucks and jeeps during WW2
* Storage for limousines used by United Nations
* A city Park Department warehouse
* A telephone book distribution centre
* A flag and tent storage depot
* A temporary Fire Department headquarters
Originally intended to stand only for the duration of the Expo, the building was not durable, and by the 1950s the simulated ruin was in fact a crumbling ruin. In 1964 the original Palace was completely demolished and reconstructed, and became home to the Exploratorium interactive museum, and the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre.
It is now a favourite location for weddings, wedding photographs, and wedding watchers, and such an icon that a miniature replica of it was built in Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim.
There was a wedding in progress when we were there, complete with a group of wedding watchers…..
…..and the next wedding, complete with its watchers, waiting in the wings.
This rather bouffant dress was being photographed on the other side, duly observed by a couple of cyclists.
On the way home, Laura drove us through the exclusive neighbourhood of Pacific Heights, with blocks of Victorian mansions and stunning views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge (and the Palace of Fine Arts).
The steps at Broadway and Lyon Streets, lined with sumptuous houses and manicured hedges, are the jogging track for the rich and fit.
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