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intact. In 1776, at the behest of Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra, Father Francisco Palou came to the Bay Area to found the sixth in a series of 21 missions along El Camino Real (the King’s Highway). From these humble beginnings grew what was to become the city of San Francisco. The mission’s small, simple chapel, built solidly by Native Americans who were converted to Christianity, is a curious mixture of native construction methods and Spanish-colonial style. A statue of Father Serra stands in the mission garden, although the portrait looks somewhat more contemplative, and less energetic, than he must have been in real life. The cemetery garden out back houses the remains of many notable First Californians, including some 5,000 Native Americans who succumbed to Western diseases. A 45-minute self-guided tour costs $5; otherwise, admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children.

16th St. (at Dolores St.). 415/621-8203. www.missiondolores.org. Admission $3 adults, $2 children. Summer daily 9am–5pm; winter daily 9am–4pm; spring daily 9am–4:30pm; Good Friday 9am–noon. Closed Thanksgiving, Easter, and Dec 25. Bus: 14, 26, or 33 to Church and 16th sts. Streetcar: J.

The Mission Dolores.

ARCHITECTURAL HIGHLIGHTS

Must-Sees for Architecture Buffs

ALAMO SQUARE HISTORIC DISTRICT San Francisco’s collection of Victorian houses, known as Painted Ladies, is one of the city’s most famous assets. Most of the 14,000 extant structures date from the second half of the 19th century and are private residences. Spread throughout the city, many have been beautifully restored and ornately painted. The small area bordered by Divisadero Street on the west, Golden Gate Avenue on the north, Webster Street on the east, and Fell Street on the south—about 10 blocks west of the Civic Center—has one of the city’s greatest concentrations of Painted Ladies. One of the most famous views of San Francisco—seen on postcards and posters all around the city—depicts sharp-edged Financial District skyscrapers behind a row of Victorians. This fantastic juxtaposition can be seen from Alamo Square, in the center of the historic district, at Fulton and Steiner streets.

The Painted Ladies of Alamo Square.

CITY HALL & CIVIC CENTER Built between 1913 and 1915, City Hall, located in the Civic Center District, is part of this “City Beautiful” complex done in the Beaux Arts style. The dome rises to a height of 306 feet on the exterior and is ornamented with oculi and topped by a lantern. The interior rotunda soars 112 feet and is finished in oak, marble, and limestone, with a monumental marble staircase leading to the second floor. With a major renovation completed in the late 1990s, the building was returned to its former splendor. No doubt you saw it on TV during early 2004, when much of the hoopla surrounding the gay marriage proceedings was depicted on the front steps. (Remember Rosie O’Donnell emerging from this very building after getting married to her girlfriend?) Public tours are given Monday through Friday at 10am, noon, and 2pm. Call 415/554-4933 for details.

City Hall.

Other Architectural Highlights

San Francisco is a center of many architecturally striking sights. This section concentrates on a few highlights.

The Union Square and Financial District areas have a number of buildings worth checking out. One is the former Circle Gallery, 140 Maiden Lane. Now a gallery housing Folk Art International, Xanadu Tribal Arts, and Boretti Amber & Design, it’s the only building in the city designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (in 1948). The gallery was the prototype for the Guggenheim’s seashell-shaped circular gallery space, even though it was meant to serve as a retail space for V. C. Morris, a purveyor of glass and crystal. Note the arresting exterior, a solid wall with a circular entryway to the left. Maiden Lane is just off Union Square between Geary and Post streets.

The Hallidie Building, 130–150 Sutter St., designed by Willis Polk in 1917, is an ideal example of a glass-curtain building. The vast glass facade is miraculously suspended between the