San Francisco's eye-catching, gold-domed City Hall presides over this patchy neighborhood bordered roughly by Franklin, McAllister, Hyde, and Grove Streets. The optimistic "City Beautiful" movement of the early 20th century produced the Beaux Arts–style complex for which the district is named, including City Hall, the War Memorial Opera House, and the old public library, now the home of the Asian Art Museum. The wonderful Main Library on Larkin Street between Fulton and Grove Streets is a modern variation on Civic Center's architectural theme.
The Civic Center area may have been set up on City Beautiful principles, but illusion soon gives way to reality. The buildings are grand, but many of the city's most destitute residents eke out an existence on the neighborhood's streets and plazas. Tickets to shows, concerts, operas, or ballet at one of the grand performance halls are the main reason many venture here, and major city events like the Pride parade and Giants’ victory celebrations draw big crowds.
