Architecture Walking Tour - Galleria Park Hotel Lobby (San Francisco, CA)
Discover the rich history of San Francisco architecture. Rick Evans' two-hour tour is loaded with secret gems and hidden jewels of the city! In addition to learning about the history of the architecture in the Financial District, you'll also see the city's newest skyscrapers, as well as hidden outdoor spaces that can only be found on foot.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
One of the best tours I've ever been on! Our guide, Rick, was fabulous. You can tell that he really enjoys what he does. He is very knowledgeable about the buildings & parks and presents it in an interesting and unique way. I highly recommend this tour to anyone--residents or visitors. I've lived here 14 years and didn't know half the information he presented, and my parents, who were visiting, loved it. Excellent!
Did you know that there are several privately owned public open spaces (POPOS) in downtown San Francisco where you can enjoy great views of the city while enjoying say a good lunch. Are you interested in learning about some of the hidden gems and historical buildings in the city like Hallidie Building at 130 Sutter Street built in 1917, designed by Willis Polk perhaps the first American to use a glass curtain wall, a construction technique that would dominate commercial architecture later in the century. Well then, this tour is just for you. Rick Evans is passionate, very knowledgable and likable.
I took this tour with my pregnant wife and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The walk around the financial district is very smooth and you don't notice 2 hrs go by. I took the tour on a weekday. The weekend tours are different, since many of the buildings in the financial district are closed to visitors on weekends. Please plan on going a little early (15-30 min) so that you can find some good parking. I parked at a parking garage near 525 Jones St (Near Geary Blvd) which had cheaper parking rates than the ones near Hotel Galleria from where the tour starts.
I highly recommend it for something unusual and interesting to do. You will never look at San Francisco and its buildings the same way again!
My walks in San Francisco will never be the same since taking the tour. Previously my eyes never ventured above the ground floor of the buildings I was passing. Now I will look up, appreciating the styles, history, and background stories of the architecture. I just hope I am not hit by a taxi or fall into a manhole. This was an eye- awakening tour and highly reccomended.
The tour guide is very friendly and energetic, and the walk itself is a fun little jaunt through some lobbies that I had never known about even though I work downtown! I would have appreciated a bit more historical narrative on our trip, but we had such a large group I'm sure it was difficult for him to get everyone's attention. I would definitely recommend this tour, but my advice would be to take one of the weekday walks if possible (so there will be less people and thus a more intimate conversation).
As a native San Franciscan, I was amazed how little I knew about the City's great buildings. Lots of big as well as small treasures. Our guide, Rick, was terrific. Friendly, informative and organized. I would highly recommend this tour to both natives and tourists. The true way to kearn about a city is to explore it by foot with someone who appreciates both history and the future.
The tour was fantastic! My father, the history nut, said he was really impressed with the wealth of knowledge that Rick shared with the group. I will definitely look at the buildings and the streets of San Francisco differently from now on.
This was great fun! The guide really knows his stuff. I learned so much about the city's history, discovered treasures I pass by all the time and never knew were there, collected random trivia tidbits to impress my friends. Walking home that day I looked at all the buildings in a new way... It was fabulous!
Most interesting 2.5 hours we've spent in the city where we've lived/worked for 10 years!
This 2 hour tour of very special and unique buildings and popos was fantastic!It exceeded my expectations.
Our tour guide, Rick Evans , was not only extremely knowledgeable but also extremely enthusiastic about the city and the tour.
His presentation could have gone on for another hour and I would not have been bored.
Hated to see it end.
I've already told approx. 10 other San Franciscans about this tour and strongly encourage everyone to take it.A real deal!
Try it.
If you have the opportunity to go on this tour, I would highly recommend it. I learned SO much about the city and I live here. The owner/guide takes pride in his work. He is very knowledgeable and personable. It's a must do!
Fantastic tour! It's great for locals AND for out-of-towners who enjoy architecture. The tour was full of "fun facts" and was absolutely enjoyable.
This tour was amazing! The tour guide was very informative and the "secret treasures" were awesome! Thank you! A+
it was fun and informative at the same time. Definitely worth the trip.
Wonderful walking tour of some of the City's architectural gems. Really enjoyed the Mariner's Exchange building and the rare paintings within.
The tour was a nice introduction to San Francisco and the tour guide was well informed and gave a few good tips. He also handed out useful printouts after the tour. However, we only covered a tiny area of San Francisco and it felt like we were just getting started.
Good value for money only when discounted here on Goldstar.
I've lived in SF for 7 years and yet had only seen one of the amazing sites that Rick took us to. He brought this magical city even more colorfully alive with his deep historical and architectural knowledge. I'm recommending it to everyone I know & look forward to attending his Chinatown tour soon.
Outstanding! I've lived in San Francisco for 15 years, and now, after hearing Rick share the history of downtown with such evident passion, knowledge, and insight, I love my adopted home even more. This tour is for anyone who loves stories and wants to hear an intelligent mind bring history alive. Don't miss it!
I have to admit, I was ashamed of how little I truly knew about SF during this tour (since I was born and raised in this beautiful city). Rick shares his knowledge of SF architecture and history with the passion of my college history teacher (which I had the hugest crush on). Since the tour was only 2 hours and only covers 3 blocks of the financial district, my ADD didn't kick in and I was intrigued throughout the entire tour.
I highly recommend Rick's tour to locals and vistors and plan on going on his Chinatown tour soon. I also think this is a great date idea for any guys out there struggling for a unique idea that is low cost. I (as a female who was once single) would be very impressed with this tour and lunch at the Ferry Building (which is only a few blocks away from the end of the tour).
What a wonderful way to spend a morning! Mr. Evans was very knowledgeable and professional: the tour started on time and moved briskly from site to site and felt avery alive, even though it was obviously based on extensive preparation and research. Although I've lived in SF and been moving among these buildings for years, I never knew the history or could put a name to the different architectural styles. We saw hidden gems that I would never have discovered on my own, and heard the history of building and design in the city from 1908 moving forward into big plans for the future. Truly, it changed the way I look at the city.
Wonderful, most informative tour. Highly recommended!
This should be on the list of the Top 10 Things to do in San Francisco.
Very interesting and wonderful tour! Discover the hidden treasures of San Fran.
Great tour . Learned lots of new things . He had so much to tell that there wasn't much time for questions , but I didn't mind .
This tour was a bargain at $10. I've lived near the Financial District for 2 years and Rick taught me a lot about my neighborhood, pointing out some secret rooftop gardens where I can sneak away for a private lunch. I also felt the tour held together thematically, with Rick introducing ideas and then returning to those ideas throughout the tour. I would love to take an expanded tour or tour another part of the city.
This is a great tour. We discovered many hidden treasures of our city in a couple of hours. Rick is very knowledgeable and clearly loves architecture and San Francisco. His enthusiasm is catching and made us want to spend more time exploring the city. It was a pleasure discovering details that we've never seen living in San Francisco for many years.
Rick Evans has put together a fine tour that includes many surprises, even for someone like me who has lived in the Bay Area for 30 years. The tour included buildings that I've walked by for many years, but had no clue as to how magnificent they were inside. The tour also includes several surprising roof gardens that are open to the public.
Rick provides a fair amount of history with the tour, but he does not overwhelm you with details and statistics. The two hours went by very quickly. I took the tour on a weekday. The weekend tours are different, since many of the buildings in the financial district are closed to visitors on weekends.
Highly recommended!
Rick did a superb job . Informative, enthusiastic and kept things moving. Learned about and saw places I never knew existed in SF and I have lived here nearly 30 years!
People should realize that on Goldstar they are getting a great bargain with these tours! It was embarassing that people were not tipping at all as that is expected on tours if you have a good experience. This tour should be costing 3 or 4 times more than you are paying so a decent tip should be the norm!
We live in the area and took the tour to see if it would be a fun outing for guests when they come to town. It was all that and more, the buildings were fantastic and the trivia and anecdotes were things I will bore friends and acquaintances with for years to come. It was like going on an adult field trip with a truly engaging professor. We'll be signing up for another soon.
It was an easy walk to the start of the tour at the Galleria Park Hotel from the Montgomery Street BART station. We ended on Market Street right by the BART station as well. Very convenient and no parking hassles or costs.
Rick was a knowledgeable, articulate and upbeat tour guide. His inquisitiveness and encouragement that we "look up" to catch the details of SF buildings that often are overlooked as we hurry by were among many insightful tips. I'll look more carefully in the future for special "Public Open Space" plaques on buildings. Highly recommended.
interesting and informative
This was a fantastic tour! I have lived in SF for over 10 years and never knew these places existed - even though I worked in the neighborhood. My Mom and Aunt also thought the tour was an A+. I highly recommend it for something unusual and interesting to do. You will never look at SF the same way again!
This was amazing experience. I’ve been walking Financial District streets for years, passing undistinguished buildings, sitting in the gardens that I know about and looking at the trees on the roofs envying people who have access to enjoy them. I didn’t realize that history is all around me. That I’m passing historical landmarks; that I can go upstairs and have my lunch at the roof garden, walk in the lobby and see mural with faces of people who made San Francisco history or paintings that belong to museum.
Thank you so very much for helping me to discover these hidden jewels and open first page into the history of city that I love.
Can’t wait for the next tour!
What an incredible treat!! Rick Evans was a wondeful guide and his tour is compact, informative, and inspiring. His knowledge and passion for San Francisco and the architecture really came through. I have lived in San Francisco for over 7 years and have worked in the financial district for over a year and cannot believe all the details I had missed right under my nose! I highly recommend the tour to anyone who calls SF home or anyone visiting the city. I plan on bringing family/friends on this tour when they visit me. Little tip: My boyfriend and I went on the 2:30 tour and there were only 5 of us total which was great! Rick mentioned that the morning tours are normally much more crowded.
Bottomline, we had a wonderful time and I'm so glad Rick is willing to share his knowledge and love of the city and it's buildings.
This was a great tour! As an out-of-towner, I really enjoyed Rick's passion for the architecture and history of San Francisco. It was a really easy walk (no hills and few stairs), giving glimpses of architecture and design in various lobbies, roof gardens, and exteriors. I'd walked past several of the buildings we visited prior to the tour without even noticing them! Rick really made me want to go exploring in the buildings in my hometown to see what treasures I could find.
This is a fantastic tour presented in perfect pace and with perfect amount of information. With only 4-5 blocks of the city covered, we discovered a lot about quite a few buildings and architects. Rick was prepared with prints of the photos of what the areas looked like at different times and what other buildings by the same architect look like in other parts of the city. The tour was very well researched and was just perfect. I live here and it was still great to be on it!
Awesome! I never attended a tour as informative and entertaining at the same time. Rick is full of knowledge. It was a real pleasure walking through the streets you supposedly knew already and learn so many new things about the buildings and the history - those streets will never be the same again. Thanks for a truely unique experience, Rick!
Personable and knowledgeable guide! Covered a lot of architecture in a small amount of walking.
It surpassed expectations. Rick is well informed and passionate about his subject. It was a pleasure. I would recommend it to others.
This tour was fantastic! I would highly recommend this activity for locals and tourists.
I really liked the tour, except it was really cold (due to my own misjudging of San Francisco weather). Since most of the tour is outside, bring warm clothes. Other than that, it was great. Also, if you are running a bit late, you can always call the guide and he'll wait for you.
I've lived here all my life and had no idea that many of these places existed. The guide was very informative and knew his subject material well.
Very informative and showed some hidden treasures in SF. Have already recommended to some friend as a must do.
The handout at the end was a good idea for those who did not take notes or for those who did not remember. The docent was very helpful and provided interesting facts throughout the tour. Great tour!
I've lived in the Bay Area my whole life (51 yrs), and come into the city at least once or twice a month. I was amazed at what I did not know about the buildings I've walked by dozens of times. It was fascinating to see all the improvements being made south of Market. Chris (our guide) was so informative and knowledgeable. We're going to come back to go inside some of the buildings that were closed during our tour. And we'll also take the weekday tour soon!
I think every SF visitor and resident should take Rick's tour. I've lived here for 28 years and I learned so much in two and a half hours. Very informative and interseting walk.
Great way to spend the day. It was nice to see the secret gardens and hideaways. I enjoyed it! I highly recommend it.
Our guide knew so so much about SF and architecture---his passion for architecture really came through. Very well organized and presented. I would go again!
fab, fab, fabuouls!!! I learned so much and really saw the city with a fresh lens.
Absolutely awesome! Rick was so engaging. His passion for San Francisco is contagious. We would definitely take this tour again!
The tour was great. I think the tour name/description should reflect more closely what it is you get, however. It was not like other architecture tours I've taken where they talk about what makes an Edwardian an Edwardian or the advent of the International Style and such, although there was some of that. Instead, it was "Architectural Gems and Public Spaces". Well worth it, and fun. I would recommend it.
Rick's enthusiasm for San Francisco's architecture and history makes for a great tour of some financial district landmark buildings. I really enjoyed this tour and would recommend it for locals and tourists alike.
I'm not a history buff, but this tour has definitely inspired me to learn more about my city. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in SF's hidden treasures.
Rick provided a really wonderful tour of the city. He focused on the Hallidie,, 111 Sutter, Crown Zellerbach, Wells Fargo/Crocker Center, Pacific Telephone, Hobart, Shell, 130 Bush, and One Rincon Buildings. I learned fascinating things about these buildings and open spaces that I pass every day in the city. I took my 19 year old son on the tour and he enjoyed it, too. As an architecture historian with a true love of San Francisco, Rick provided a very enjoyable 2 hour treat.
What a great experience! I took my parents who were visiting from LA, having run out of ideas of where to take them for sight seeing. Rick's tour is, as always (having it taken it myself a couple of times) full of interesting tidbits about the city with an emphasis on the architectural design of the city's most influential buildings. He also incorporates a little about the city's ultra futuristic buildings south of market. Really fascinating and well spent couple of hours!
My parents were impressed. A must do for people visiting the city as well as those that have lived here for a while.
This was my 2nd walk with Rick--Loved it! Even better than the first one several months ago!
I've lived in San Francisco for 12 years and every minute of this tour was an education.
Well worth it!
Fun and informative!
This tour was interesting, fun and surprising. We've lived in the Bay Area for over 30 years and we found out about buildings that we'd never really "seen" before. Rick was an excellent guide and I would recommend this tour wholeheartedly.
A fabulous tour. Rick is very knowledgeable and presents the history of the architecture of the district with a twinkle in his eye and a love of the city. It was fascinating to discover the secrets and treasures of the area.
I recommended this to locals and tourist alike.
Hidden jewel! Rick was thoroughly knowledgeable and entertaining. Absolutely recommended for natives and visitors alike! Thanks!
Lived here all my life. Learned LOTS from Rick. He's an informative, insightful historian, but not a know-it-all. Now I'll walk these streets looking both up...and down from above. Great for locals and tourists.
As a local, I really enjoyed this tour. It made me want to run out and buy a book on architecture.
I loved this event! It was very interesting and enjoyable....I just wish the weather would have been better. I will definitely be watching for other tours of other neighborhoods.
Tour leader Rick is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Great fun!
Rick is obviously inspired by the history of SF's architecture and shares his knowledge freely. My mom and friends were visiting for the weekend and we all highly recommend it! Great tour!
I've walked by these beautiful buidlings everyday on the way to work. What a fun afternoon of exploring beautiful buildings, hidden places I never noticed, and learning about the history and future of San Francisco. I would highly recommend this tour to tourist and locals! Rick is a great tour guide.
it was great, funny and interesting. Strongly recommended, even for people from San Francisco
Rick Evans shared so many fascinating and historically interesting facts during the SF Architecture Walking Tour. I think some of the people on the tour were architects themselves, but Rick was able to keep everyone's interest captivated, regardless of technical background. The tour gave me the urge to study more of San Francisco's incredible history and buildings. He also provided a great 2-page typed summary of the tour, for future reference.
The tour guide was very informative and kept it at a great pace.
I highly recommend this tour.
The tour guide was very knowledgeable, He had a comfortable way of presenting information and making history come alive. It was a tour that I would recommend to friends and visitors alike!!
I thought this was a great tour even the second time around. New information presented each tour keeps the experience fresh and enjoyable! My husband is a UC Berkeley grad and a San Francisco native. A big part of his academic studies was in urban planning and he also thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot!
On this walking tour, our guide took us to various locations in downtown San Francisco to teach us about the history of certain buildings, and the impact they had on the development of the city and the rest of the world.
I live in San Francisco and learned so much history. I would definitely recommend this tour to fellow San Francisco residents and visitors to the city.
We loved it! It was about 3 hours long and we learned a lot. I've been living here 10 years and had no idea about the rich history of these buildings. I highly recommend it.
Rick the tour guide was very professional and knew so many interesting details about S.F. I will be taking the tour again with friends....that's how much I enjoyed it!!
Rick is a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and he really gives you a mini-history of the city's architecture. It's an easy walk, very low key. He shows you hidden San Francisco treasures you'd never find on your own. I came back for a second time and brought my mother. She loved it!
Rick Evans was very likable and informative. The tour definitely is worthwhile.
This tour was informative, historic, interesting and fun. It's an easy walk and Rick is an excellent speaker. My husband is a Bay Area native and I have lived here for 30+ years and we learned a great deal!
Great tour - interesting details you won't easily find by yourself!
Great tour!! Rick knows what he is talking about and is fun to talk to. One recommendation...go in week days if possible since many things can only be seen monday-friday. Not only dose the tour give you an idea about the city's past, but also about what is to come. Over all 2.5 hours well spent. ;)
The guide was knowledgable and enthusiastic about the tour. Learned some very interesting things about certain buildings. However, I guess with walking you just can't cover that much distance in 2 and a half hours to see enough of the city.
Wow to all those POPOS and those little secrets living here in SF! I highly recommend this event to architect, history, and environmental majors. Very, very enlightening and an eye opening experience. Rick knows his stuffs. I hope to see more preservation done to our old buildings. KUDOS!
This is an excellent tour. Tour guide is well prepared, knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the tour sites (he is low key, which is great). He had a book with some additional info. and photos as well as a handout on secret places to visit.
Be sure to eat a good breakfast or bring a snack bar just in case you get a bit hungry, because it was over the lunch hours.
A must for locals and tourists alike.
This a great tour mainly because of the knowledge and personality of the tour guide. We went to this tour and then the tour in Chinatown in the afternoon. Have visited San Francisco many times but these two tours helped with our understanding of the city. If you do both tours, which I would recommend, make sure to ask Rick for lunch recommendations. You don't have a great amount of time but we stopped at Belden alley on the way to Chinatown and it was great.
I loved this walking tour - I have lots of guide books and have done lots of walking tours on my own but this one was so special. Rick clearly knows his stuff and has a great love and passion for San Francisco - definitely comes through as he shows off this very small corner of the city. Will definitely recommend it to others.
The tour was fascinating! I have been coming into the city for years and passed these historical buildings all the time...how wonderful to find out the story behind them! Our guide, Rick Evans, was superb! I would highly recommend anyone, local or visitor, take this tour.
An excellent and informative tour! It's great to get to know some of the history of places we walk by and some that we wonder about. We were very pleasantly surprised by what a good tour this was and are eager to learn more and go exploring the POPOS downtown. Rick provides handouts at the end which cover everything he talks about on his tour and offers links for more information and to a pdf of the public areas downtown for further explorations on our own. I highly recommend this tour for locals or visitors.
Came back from Rick Evans' Architecture Walking Tour excited by the discovery of all these buildings that I've seen almost daily for the last 30 years! I am so glad I decided to do it. Rick brings out the architectural history of the buildings, inside and out, adding interesting and humorous bits of information. On the way back home I looked at every building with new "eyes". I recommend it highly to anybody who wants to know more about San Francisco's history, its architecture and its plans for the future.
this was a great two hours; not that much walking; perfect time of day. we took the friday tour and understand that several of the doors are locked on the weekends. so the saturday / sunday tour must be a little different. we will surely signup and check out that tour.
Really enjoyed learning more about our neighborhood and appreciate it more now. Rick shared his knowledge in a fun way, so it didn't seem like 2 hours. I will definitely be joining the other tours he offers.
We are locals and it was so interesting to learn about the fabulous buildings that we walk by daily!
We discovered hidden public areas that we will now enjoy, thanks to Rick for his research.
We have lived here for 35 years and found the tour enlightening and enjoyable. We also met some out-of-towners we showed the Palace Hotel to and had lunch with. You leave the tour with a list of web sites of "privately-owned public" spaces and gardens so you can go back to some you see and also discover others. I highly recommend this tour.
My girlfriend and I took BART over from Oakland to avoid the traffic and parking hassles late Friday morning. I am somewhat knowledgeable about architecture but I wasn't prepared for the depth of research Rick Evans has put into this tour. It doesn't cover a very large area but is chockful of amazing details about the buildings, the firms that created them and how time have changed their uses. A great example was the "Narrow Building", only 20 feet wide and 10 stories high that originally housed a manufacurer of ties, belts and suspenders!!! Most of the buildings were from San Francisco's Golden Age after the fire and before the stock market crash but it also included the 1959 Crown Zellerbach Building, an outstanding example of "modern" design. And Rick finished by pointing out the "One Rincn Hill South Building', the wave of the future on the other side of Market. Don't miss this tour!!!!
good tour, very knowledgable tour guide.
Great walking tour of SF. It was informative and Rick did a superb job in educating us about the history of some of SF's more historical buildings.
i've been on many tours around the world...i was a docent for ten years and a teacher for 25....this was a first rate tour...well prepared, content interesting and relevant, delivery professional, pacing perfect...highly recommend!
Rick was fantastic. His knowledge and way he lead the tour were great! I highly recommend the tour.
Great. This was an awesome way to spend the day and as locals we were impressed with the detail and the breadth of knowledge Rick had. We are definitely going to the China Town tour and are even thinking of hiring Rick for a day when our family comes to visit.
Don't miss this one, check it out if you are from SF or anyplace else.
Rick Evans ran a great tour. We were most impressed with his knowledge both of the city and the architecture. Very informative... a must do for anyone who lives in the city and wants to know more about it.
This was the second time I've done Rick's tour. He's changed it a bit from two years ago, but it is still a fascinating tour. He clearly loves San Francisco and takes great pleasure in talking about the city. I think people who have lived or worked in San Francisco will especially enjoy this tour, because he helps you look more closely at buildings and public spaces that you've probably passed by many times without appreciating their beauty or significance.
The tour was outstanding. A treat to see architectural history.
LOOK FORWARD TO THE TOUR OF CHINATOWN.
Tips are provided by Goldstar members and San Francisco Architecture Walking Tour. Goldstar is not responsible for their content or accuracy.
Website: http://www.architecturesf.com/
<p>This is San Francisco's only professional packaged tour highlighting architecture in the Financial District. Local families or first time visitors will find hidden historical treasures that will be remembered for a lifetime!</p> <p>Tour is designed for adults or young adults with an interest in architecture and/or history of San Francisco and is approximately 2 hours long. Although the tour does not go up any hills, the walk covers almost two miles of city blocks. Walk is brisk and moves quickly through busy downtown streets with heavy traffic. Some steep stairs may be encountered during the walk.</p> <p>Everyone comes away from this tour with a sense of discovery and appreciation for the buildings and history - and seeing San Francisco from a different perspective.</p> <p>Some of the Highlights of the Tour:</p>
San Francisco Architecture Walking Tour
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