San Francisco: Downtown Architecture & Public Art Tour

Discover the stunning architecture, captivating public art, and delightful public spaces within San Francisco's Central Business District (CBD). Explore the skyline's diverse architecture, admire public art spaces that feel more like open-air art galleries, and learn about downtown's unique urban open spaces.

Start with extraordinary examples of architectural style from each of the CBD's waves of growth. Admire grand buildings like the London Paris National Bank that rose from the rubble of 1906's earthquake and fire. See exuberant art deco gems like the Pacific Telephone Building that burst onto the skyline in the roaring ‘20s.

Admire sleek glass towers in the International Style like the Crown Zellerbach Building from the mid-century economic boom. See buildings like the JP Morgan Chase Building that led the CBD's southward growth at the turn of the millennium and more “star-chitect" designed buildings from the current tech era.

Walk through parts of the CBD that feel like outdoor museum spaces. For 40 years, all new downtown office buildings have dedicated 1% of their construction budgets to public art. As a result, outstanding artworks that would be right at home in galleries or museums can be found throughout the CBD.

Over the course of the tour, see kinetic sculpture by George Rickey, digital art by Jenny Holzer, paintings by Frank Stella, and quirky installations by Jonathan Borofsky and Ugo Rondinone. Take in the towering Salesforce building and 4½ city blocks of dedicated park space.

Longer than Salesforce Tower is tall, the park was built atop an intermodal transit terminal, creating 5½ acres of greenery in an area that didn't have room for any. The park has quiet spots to read, yoga classes, movie nights, concerts, and a beer garden.

There's also a fountain with jets of water activated as buses traverse the transit terminal below. The park's gardens include 600 trees and 16,000 plants in “zones” that replicate 13 of the world's ecosystems. Elevated 70 feet above street level, the park also affords wonderful views of the surrounding office and residential buildings built concurrently with it.

Finish at the entrance of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. SFMOMA is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world and has a beautiful exterior that is a piece of art itself. Come join us!