Marina District

The Marina District is located in San Francisco and is one of the Bay Area's best-known neighborhoods. It is located on the plot of land that served as the site of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The Exposition was planned to celebrate the rebuilding of San Francisco following the devastating earthquake of 1906. The Palace of Fine Arts still stands, but all of the other buildings associated with the expo were demolished to create space for the neighborhood of Marina. The area is bordered by Fort Mason and Van Ness Avenue, Cow Hollow, Presidio National Park, Lyon Street, and Lombard Street. The north half of the neighborhood features shoreline of the San Francisco Bay and is home to the Marina Green, a park and boat marina. Prior to the earthquake, the area features tidal pools, bay shallows, sand dunes, and marshland. It was not until the last 19th century that people moved into the area. After the exposition, land was sold to developers and began the planning and building of the residential neighborhood. The area was again affected in 1989 by the Loma Prieta earthquake when liquefaction caused the neighborhood to flood and caused a small firestorm. The Palace of Fine Arts and Exploratorium is the most famous part of the neighborhood. Chestnut Street is the main street in the district and features a variety of nightlife establishments frequented by area residents.