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Civic Center

Civic Center began in 1913 and is in an area of San Francisco that was originally sand dunes. The current City Hall was completed in 1915, and has been recently renovated. San Francisco Civic Center is world famous for many reasons: Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe were married at San Francisco's City Hall in 1954, while Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated there in 1978.

One of the most notable buildings at the Civic Center is the four-story Beaux-Arts style Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. It is one of the Bay area's major convention venues hosting numerous concerts and public events throughout the year.

Van Ness Avenue splits the Civic Center and is the widest street in the city because of the dynamiting of rows of Victorians to act as a fire break after the 1906 earthquake.

Cultural showcases along Van Ness include the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the War Memorial, City Hall and Coit Tower.

The Asian Art Museum is located within San Francisco's former main library, another Beaux Arts-style building built in 1917.  The new San Francisco Public Library is across Civic Center Plaza from the Asian Art Museum.

While San Francisco's Central YMCA isn't actually at Civic Center, it does have a great view of City Hall from its rooftop. The YMCA has occupied its current building since 1910 when it was built to replace the original YMCA of San Francisco which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1906.

If in the area, the warmth and ease makes a stay at the Cathedral Hill Hotel a unique experience. Feel the warm welcome, take a swim in the heated swimming pool, and enjoy the modern amenities this Bay area hotel has to offer.