Two illuminating experiences: Philanthropists light up Ferry Building, Palace of Fine Arts
Two of the most stunning attractions during the opening of the centennial will be the historic recreations of lighting at both the Palace of Fine Arts and at San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building. The Palace Centennial lighting has been made possible with lead gifts from the Friend Family and from Taube Philanthropies.
Tad Taube and Taube Philanthropies also made the facilitating gift for the permanent installation of The Bay Lights, and the Friend and Taube families previously provided lead gifts for the Restoration of the Palace of Fine Arts. Their commitment to the city and particularly the Palace of Fine Arts is extraordinary. Taube Philanthropies also provided the facilitating gift for the Ferry Building relighting.
THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS
Palace After Dark begins Friday, Feb. 20, from 9-10 p.m. and continues on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 7-10 p.m. The public is invited to stroll the Palace grounds, view a film and light show and be able to see and feel what it was like to attend the Fair in 1915!
Using modern lighting technology, colored lights will sweep across the Lagoon, illuminating the water and the flow of its natural currents from the south end to the north end and out into the bay. The facade of the Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Hall will also provide a surface for recreating the magic of the nightly light shows of the PPIE.
The designers of the PPIE hired Jules Guerin to develop a color palette for the fair using a Mediterranean inspired theme. The Palace of Fine Arts was originally colored according to this palate and these historic colors will be replicated through lighting.
Palace After Dark attendees are then invited to enter the Palace of Fine Arts Theater lobby to see a film and light show created just for the Centennial by San Francisco lighting designers Optic Flare and underwritten by Maurice Kanbar.
THE FERRY BUILDING
In addition to commemorating the completion of the Panama Canal, the Exposition celebrated San Francisco’s recovery from the 1906 earthquake and its emergence as a center of world trade.
Built in1898, the Ferry Building was one of the few structures that, amazingly, was not seriously damaged during the 1906 earthquake. In 1915, this vital transportation hub served as a welcoming center for over 18 million people who visited the city to attend the PPIE. For the duration of the Exposition, its tower was festooned with lights, a beacon proclaiming “1915” to visitors on both sides of the Bay.
Donna Ewald Huggins presented Mayor Edwin Lee with the idea of "re-lighting" the Ferry Building for the Centennial, and he was immediately on board. The Port of San Francisco, the Ferry Building, former Mayor Willie L. Brown and Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz also supported the effort. Jim Phelan designed and installed the lights, replicating as closely as possible the lighting of 1915.
Those lights will be turned on once again on March 3, in a public ceremony that will feature civic dignitaries. Crowds will gather at 5:30 p.m. with the actual relighting taking place at 6:15 p.m.
Don’t miss the magical moment when the Ferry Building once again invites the world to 1915!