Civic Center

Bordering the Tenderloin, the Civic Center is, as the name indicates, the location of SF’s City Hall and the Opera House. The Civic Center, much like the Financial District is not known as place where you rent apartments since it is largely a commercial and governmental area with large old stone buildings. (I think many of them date to the period after the 1906 Earthquake when they went through a large building boom leading up to the 1916 World’s Fair.)

There are, however, a fair number of apartments in older, Hitchcock era buildings. If you like feelings as if you are in the 1950’s or sooner, you will love the lobbies and elegant stonework of these classic structures. The interiors of the actual apartments are usually modernized, so you will have modern conveniences. The typical price for such apartments are around $1800/room so you are paying for your proximity to the high brow arts center of SF.

One of the other problems that you have to consider if you are going to live in this area, is that you get a strong spill over from the Tenderloin in terms of crime and homelessness. This is definitely no small matter when you have to go out your door every day. This is the reason that so many ads for apartments will advertise being on the third story or above, because they know people don’t feel safe living on the first or second floor of apartments in the area.

Among the many highbrow entertainment venues in the area are the SF Opera House—definitely a world class outfit and the amazing venue is a must if you are a long term SF resident as is the adjacent SF Ballet. (I’ve come here for the classic Nutcracker during Christmas and found the experience quite wonderful—even though it is a total cliché and more than a little pricy.)

All these venues are packed along two to three blocks of Van Ness, the central north south artery in SF.
The nearby Tenderloin also makes this the capitol of dive bars which are just out from the upper class entertainments.
The whole location actually feels in most ways more like New York than SF.

Located inland of San Francisco’s financial district, Civic Center is home to large cultural and government institutions. The neighborhood is saturated with beautiful and old fashioned government architecture. It is also home to San Francisco’s city hall where it hosts a myriad of extravagant events (high school proms, weddings, parade for the 2010 World Series Champ San Francisco Giants). The area adjacent to City Hall offers lavish plazas with trees lining the walkways and statues situated on the far corners.

Civic Center is mostly a non-residential area, but offers housing for law students at the University of California, Hastings. The law school is very reputable, but students hardly spend their free time in the neighborhood. One of the more popular events in the area is its farmer’s market taking place every Wednesday and Sunday mornings. If you’re using public transportation, the neighborhood is also served by Civic Center Bart station, connecting its residents to the whole Bay Area.

Civic Center is an area busy with culture. Many popular destinations include San Francisco symphony, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and the Orpheum Theatre. Moreover, plenty of festivals and parades pass through or serve as the ending post for these attractions, including the Gay Pride Festival and St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Visiting at night can be a bit of a problem. There’s not many options for dining out and the neighborhood sees its fair share of homeless people lurking in the streets. There are also a couple seedy side streets that you should avoid if you’re walking alone.

Standing in the middle of Civic Center Plaza on a clear day, a gravel path underfoot and a blue sky overhead, is not unlike being in the center of a broad, boxed canyon somewhere in the American West. Walls of gray granite loom around you, their sheer faces rising up a hundred feet or so from the flat ground. The constant breeze frequently gathers force, momentarily scattering birds and tearing at the leaves of stubby trees. The feeling is more forlorn than uplifting, especially given the hard angles and the almost complete monotony of color and materials. In short, this urban canyon is more a place to walk through than sit down in for a picnic.

That evocation of a blank, austere space may be what the famous architect and city planner Daniel Burnham had in mind when he laid out the area in the early 1900s. The center of municipal government should inspire awe, he felt, projecting a city’s power over its citizens. After the 1906 earthquake, people needed city government to fulfill that role in an uncertain world. And inspire awe and confidence these buildings do, particularly the centerpiece City Hall, designed by another famous architect, Arthur Brown Jr., who modeled the beaux arts-style building after Les Invalides in Paris, a baroque extravagance that houses Napoleon’s tomb. City Hall’s ornate, gilded dome, fifth largest in the world, encapsulates a spectacular rotunda with a grand staircase often used for state and social functions. Other buildings—the Civic Auditorium (currently named for the late rock promoter Bill Graham), the Asian Art Museum (formerly the Main Library), the California Supreme Court—are in the neoclassical style Burnham’s “City Beautiful” movement favored. The new Main Library, erected in 1995-96, echoes the style of its neighbors on the plaza without exhibiting their detailed ornamentation. In all, these buildings enclose Civic Center Plaza in a classical formation that is much admired for its symmetry and stately grace. In recognition of its historic and architectural importance, the United States conferred both historic landmark status on the district as well as placing its older buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

But what can Civic Center as a neighborhood offer its denizens? The dozen or so gray piles lining the adjacent blocks certainly offer cultural attractions and government services--the district includes the War Memorial Opera House and its twin, the Herbst Theatre, bookended by Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall and the California Public Utilities Commission, all fronting Van Ness opposite City Hall, as well as the Orpheum Theatre on Market (home to Broadway touring shows) and a number of other government edifices (notably, the San Francisco Superior Court and the Philip Burton Federal Building). But, in spite of their importance and imposing appearance, they don’t really relate to the surrounding blocks of this curious neighborhood, half of it meticulously maintained government properties with the remainder a sketchy hodgepodge of blocks bordering the Tenderloin District and its single-room-occupancy hotels, run-down apartment houses, and shabby storefronts. Furthering the somewhat contradictory sense of what makes this neighborhood tick is the fact that so near the center of law and order are blocks where lawlessness and disorder are the norm.

That said, the area does have its upside. Every Sunday and Wednesday, the United Nations Plaza (extending from Seventh and Market streets west to Hyde) hosts the Heart of the City farmers market, a cavalcade of inexpensive fresh produce and prepared foods, along with the occasional potted plant or greenhouse oddity. In the northern half, Opera Plaza (on Golden Gate and Van Ness, two blocks north of the Opera House) is a successful “urban village”-style condo development from the 1980s that has attracted a stable population; its residents take advantage of the main level shops, cinema, and restaurants (not to mention the other attractions the district offers, including the recent proliferation of Vietnamese restaurants). Sutter Health is planning a major new hospital on the site of the former Cathedral Hill Hotel (on Van Ness and Geary) that would bring a clean, green employer to the depressed area. In the southern half, the new Argenta apartment tower (at Market and Polk) has 179 units on 20 floors, giving high-rise dwellers an upscale option to Fox Plaza. The latter, occupying the same space as the long-lamented Fox Theatre (demolished in the 1960s) is an unattractive brown slab, an early (and still-struggling) attempt to bring residents into Civic Center. The upper 15 of its 29 floors are rental apartments; the floors below are office space. Many of its apartments have been remodeled recently, however, and the building’s uninspired plaza is soon to be razed and its retail level converted to a mid-rise condo development.

Another bright spot for the area is the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s recent move to the Civic Center area. The conservatory bought and renovated two buildings on Oak Street near Van Ness and together, they give almost 73,000 net square feet of space to the Conservatory for studios, practice rooms and performance spaces, in addition to classrooms, offices and a bigger library. The conservatory’s 400-plus students contribute a much-needed youth-oriented element to the area’s population and herald a rebirth of the Civic Center area as a district friendly to artists and musicians.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Civic Center has roughly 25,000 residents in one of the city’s most densely populated areas. They are a diverse group: 50 percent white, 25 percent Asian, 16 percent African American, and the remainder another race or a mix of two or more races. They tend to be middle class, barely: median annual household income is just $40,000. Overwhelmingly, residents rent (80 percent) rather than own their homes.

Most people who live here walk or ride bikes or rely on public transportation. Muni buses en route from the outlying areas stop here on their way to and from downtown (including the Nos. 5, 19, 31, and 38 going east and west) , and the Nos. 19 and 27 traveling north and south) . BART and Muni both have a dedicated subway stop on Market (dubbed, naturally, “Civic Center”) and the Muni subway also has another stop farther west on Market, at Van Ness. Most on-street parking is regulated by meters, which measure the space in terms of minutes. Thus, residents with cars generally make arrangements to park in a garage (either provided as part of their rental space or negotiated separately); few streets allow long-term parking in a given space. Except for several blocks in the northern part of the district (where the “C” residential permit rules), the city’s Department of Parking and Traffic doesn’t issue such permits for other areas of Civic Center.

Though the area is not known for “name brand” shopping, you can still find interesting objects at any of the unassuming stores that jam the area, particularly along Polk Street, which, along with Van Ness, also offers the most restaurant options as well (the Van Ness/Polk corridor has more restaurants per capita than any other stretch in the city, according to a number of guide books).

There are a couple of private schools in the area, including DeMarillac Academy (a Catholic elementary next to St. Boniface Church aimed at underserved students). But given that there are no public schools in the neighborhood, the few kids who live here are for the most part transported by bus to schools in outlying areas.

Crime in the area is an issue for most residents. In addition to the high number of disturbing-the-peace violations (often caused by the high number of homeless people who drift through), thefts, burglaries and robberies are fairly common here in any three-month period, and vehicle theft and car break-ins are increasingly common, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Though violent crime is not common on side streets, the main thoroughfares see their share of assaults. In the last three years, five murders have been reported.

Real-estate prices are on the rebound after the recent slump, according to Trulia, registering a 16 percent rise in the last year. Condos define the market, with simple one-bed/one-bath homes going for between $480,000 and $530,000; another bed or bath will add $200,000 to the sales price. Rentals here are, predictably, pricey: a large studio and/or small one-bedroom/one bath in a Franklin Street apartment house can range from $1,200 to $1,450 a month. Studios in the aforementioned Fox Plaza begin at $1,800 a month, with one-bed/one-bath units starting at $2,300. At the Argenta, two-bed/two-bath apartments were listed in late 2010 for nearly $3,000.

Living in Civic Center requires a little bit of urban guerrilla skills, but once you get over the fear of walking these streets (not to mention overlooking all those imposing gray granite facades in the Civic Center canyon), life here can be entirely tolerable—and certainly interesting.

As some of the other reviewers here have mentioned, The Civic Center doesn’t really have a lot of residential options. It is mainly a center for arts and culture. This part of town is west and slightly south of downtown. That means you are close to Alamo Square as well as Nob Hill.

Not surprisingly, Civic Center Plaza is located in The Civic Center. If you have never seen San Francisco’s City Hall, it is worth a look, as it this is a very impressive building with classic style architecture. Many a protest and rally has been held in this location over the years. Also you have United Nations Plaza, which is a prominent feature of the city. Interestingly, this neighborhood had a former City Hall, which was destroyed in the big fire/earthquake of 1906.

I would say that there has to be a significant amount of crime in The Civic Center, strictly because it is so closely located to the Tenderloin. You will definitely see a lot of homeless people and folks asking for money.

As a resident of San Francisco, you will probably not even visit this area unless you happen to be going to a protest or a parade. For example, the Gay Pride Parade, St Patrick’s Day Parade and Love Parade take place in The Civic Center.

Civic Center is the government center of San Francisco and where all the “high-class” events happen (I’d say). Finding things to do in Civic Center, you’ll only stumble upon classy things to do; there is the Davis Symphony Hall, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Orpheum Theatre, Herbst Theatre. Great music and great theatre is what you can always expect to find here in Civic Center. At sometime during the year you’ll find Davis Symphony Hall to be very crowded and packed with elementary and middle school students who are on a field. But this is usually for a couple days throughout the year. Other than that the Civic Center isn’t as busy as Market Street yet it still does see a good amount of pedestrian activity in the neighborhood. Traffic isn’t that bad as there are multiple lanes on the streets, that is until rush hour. When I was little I really enjoyed going to the Civic Center Plaza, and I’m pretty sure I would enjoy a little visit there and sit there with a book to read.

What sometimes stands out to me when I go to the Civic Center is number of homeless people there, sometimes there won’t be any, but at times there will be a good number of them, and sometimes they approach you really randomly, which may take you by surprise, it has to me. Besides all that negative stuff, there’s a good number of fun things to also do in Civic Center which includes visiting the Farmers’ Market and the Asian Art Museum.

As its name suggests, Civic Center is more civically oriented than residential. The area is anchored by San Francisco’s beautiful City Hall and adorned with Davies Symphony Hall, The War Memorial Opera House, The Herbst Theatre, the Asian Art Museum and several monolithic city, state and federal buildings. Civic Center is a public transportation hub, with bus, streetcar, MUNI and BART lines extending out to the greater city and Bay Area. Civic Center is home to a great and affordable farmer’s market and every Wednesday and Sunday the United Nations Plaza is filled with produce vendors of all types. There is even a fish market and live chickens are often for sale.

One thing to watch out for in Civic Center is the wind that whips up in the late afternoon until after sunset—I think it has to do with the way Market Street creates a wind tunnel from Twin Peaks to the Bay. It can be very unpleasant to wander around in that gusty wind. Also, finding a taxi at night can be a real pain—especially when the opera or symphony pours crowds of people into the street. There are also very few decent restaurants or bars in the immediate area—excepting the delicious and healthy Ananda Fuara vegetarian restaurant. Your best bet is to wander a few streets over to Little Saigon on Larkin Street for delicious Vietnamese food—or over to posh Hayes Valley for a quality martini.

Civic Center proudly lights up City Hall and the square around it. In the center of the square is a beautiful little park, including a children's area (monitored for adults). The Ballet, Opera House, Court House and main branch of the SF Public Library are all a football's throw away -- well, at least for a quarterback. ;)

BART is conveniently located right there with the Civic Center station being a transfer point between MUNI and the BART system, as well as a stopping point for many lines in the city, so it is very easy to get to and without worrying about parking. Even so, parking is fairly abundant for such a busy area and parking garages are nearby as well.

Lots of food can be found from the upscale and ever impressive Jardiniere to more moderate yet classy Soluna Lounge to the more hip Vegetarian hot spot, Ananda Fuara. Like to cook for yourself or get some hand made crafts? Then visit the Farmer's Market happening on Sundays in UN Plaza.