The centerpiece of one of the finest ensembles of classical architecture in the United States,…read moredesigned as part of the "City Beautiful" movement in 1911, this plaza's City Hall was site of the Great Earthquake relief efforts (1906), United Nations Charter Signing (1945), Gen. MacArthur's ticker-tape parade (1951), Marilyn Monroe's marriage to Joe DiMaggio (1954), various Vietnam War and nuclear protests (1960s),
the birth of Pride (1970s), and the massive homeless encampment known as Camp Agnos (1989), two years after being designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
The plaza sits atop a three-story underground parking garage and Brooks Hall, an underground exhibition space, and BART and Muni Metro stations, with
the Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds atop.
Today it features "Civic Center Soundtrack" concert series on Tuesdays and Thursdays, "Hip Hop on the Plaza" Fridays, along with the long-running Heart of the City Farmers Market on Sundays and Wednesdays, and every day is Homeless Day!
With a capacity of approximately 25,000 people, the field is used for memorials, which is what brought me there: the
Bob Weir Memorial, where thousands of fans (including Joan Baez, John Mayer, and Nancy Pelosi) gathered to celebrate the Grateful Dead co-founder. I found the site to be secure and clean. Usually the city has broken windows, poop, and needles, and that's just the donut shop.