City Hall lights celebrate the San Francisco Giants. Photo courtesy of Beto Lopez, Mooncricket Films LLC.
Laying the Cornerstone of the New City Hall (1872) (Photos courtesy of SF History Center, SF Public Library)
City Hall Graphic (1897-1906)
City Hall in Ruins After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire (1906)
Mayor James Rolph on Opening Day of the New City Hall (1915)
Mayor James Rolph in Front of City Hall (1918)
Muni Cars Carrying 363rd Infantry and 347th Artillery from City Hall to the Presidio (1919)
Fireworks Over City Hall (1923)
United States Army Troops Parading Towards City Hall (1945)
World War II Bataan Prisoners of War are Welcomed at City Hall Ceremonies (March 28, 1945)
Ten thousand San Franciscans Gathering Together in Front of City Hall to Hear a Speech from President Harry Truman (1948)
Firefighters Battling a Fire on top of City Hall's Dome (1951)
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio at City Hall Immediately After Getting Married (1954)
City Hall Welcoming Giants Home After 1962 Pennant Winning Season (1963)
Peace Demonstrators Protest the Vietnam War With City Hall in the Background (1967)
City Employees Picketing in Front of City Hall (1970)
Harvey Milk in the City Hall Supervisors' Chamber (1978)
City Hall Flanked by the Opera House and the Veterans Building
City Hall, Civic Center Plaza (1982)
Fans flock to City Hall to celebrate the Giants' 2014 World Series Victory. Photo courtesy of @pedroguavara_
To celebrate San Francisco City Hall's 100th birthday, this week Mayor Edwin Lee announced a City Hall Centennial Celebration befitting such a majestic landmark.
City Hall has seen it all, including total destruction in the wake of the Great Earthquake of 1906. Having been rebuilt on a brand new foundation, today she stands, says California Senator Diane Feinstein, as "a symbol of the city’s ability to rise from the ashes, like the mythical phoenix, even stronger than before."
Sometimes called "The People's Palace," City Hall has welcomed home soldiers from two World Wars and provided a stage for progressive activists and countless protests that would later spur important political and cultural change. Once the scene of the murder of LGBT rights pioneer and city supervisor Harvey Milk, the building later hosted the country's first same-sex marriages under Mayor Gavin Newsom, setting the stage for sweeping reform across the country. Its facade has been lit up in a rainbow hues to celebrate everything from Pride to three triumphant World Series wins by the San Francisco Giants.
The city's celebration of the big 1-0-0 will commence on June 19, with a birthday bash as big as the building herself. The public celebration, complete with food trucks and live music, will be held at Civic Center Plaza, free and open to all. // For more information, head over to sfcityhall100.com.
