The de Young is located in Golden Gate Park. It exhibits American art from the 17th century to the present, international modern art, textiles, and tribal art. The modernist copper-clad building, created by Herzog and de Meuron and Fong and Chan, is expected to oxidize over time and take on a greenish tone and a texture to mimic the park’s eucalyptus trees. It opened in 2005.

Completed in 1879, the Conservatory of Flowers is the oldest glass and wood Victorian structure of its kind in Northern America. This theater of nature was designed to bring the urbanite closer to masterpieces of the natural world otherwise unavailable in the city. It boasts roughly 16,800 windows to keep it humid and hot year round.

Most recently, the building’s facade was illuminated psychedelic colors for the Summer of Love anniversary.

The Palace of Fine Arts is in a state of flux, waiting for another tenant after the Exploratorium moved to a new building. It was created in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, and it is the only structure that was left standing after the event. For now, it hosts a myriad of concerts and shows.

Another Timothy Pflueger work, the Castro Theatre’s design is Spanish Colonial, a throwback to early California and meant to evoke a Mexican cathedral. But it’s what’s inside that really counts: The stunning ceiling, cast in plaster, is made to look like a leather tent complete with swags, ropes, and tassels.

The cinema house was listed as a San Francisco landmark in 1976.

The row of Victorian houses on Steiner Street along Alamo Square Park are known simply as the Painted Ladies. This scenic stretch of street has been the backdrop for many postcards, commercials, movies, and television shows, notably Full House.

The sobriquet used for the row of homes was first coined in 1978 by writers Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen in their book Painted Ladies: San Francisco’s Resplendent Victorians. It has stuck ever since.

Mission Dolores (Mission San Francisco de Asís), is the oldest structure in San Francisco. It was founded in 1776 by Lieutenant José Joaquin Moraga and Father Francisco Palóu for the purpose of bringing Spanish settlers to the area and ministering to the Native Americas who were already there (a ministry that's since been called into question).

The Beaux-Arts City Hall building, designed by Arthur Brown and John Bakewell (War Memorial Opera House, Temple Emanu-El), has existed here since 1915 (an earlier version was leveled by the 1906 earthquake). Its regal dome is the fifth largest in the world. The building has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including A View to a Kill wherein a blaze tears through the building in an attempt to kill James Bond.

The Civic Center structure also lights up its facade for memorials, celebrations, sports teams, and holidays.

Grace Cathedral is an Episcopal church atop Nob Hill. It's known for its mosaics by Jan Henryk De Rosen, large stained glass windows, a Keith Haring altarpiece that acts as an AIDS memorial, and a pair of large labyrinths.

Also of note, this church features copies of the Baptistery doors from the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence.

The InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco, designed by American architectural firm Weeks and Days, is a luxury hotel sited on the top of Nob Hill. It recently celebrated 91 years. A stunning example of Nob Hill's stately luxury, it’s best known for the Top of the Mark bar.

Impending root canals and cavity fillings are made a touch easier with a trip to this Timothy Pflueger-designed building just off Union Square. Known for its "neo-Mayan" Art Deco design, it was completed in 1929. Of special note is the lobby interior, which stands as one of the city’s finest.

Another flatiron gem along Market Street, the Flood Building (named for the Flood family of Comstock Lode fame) is a 12 story high-rise in the heart of the Financial District. The 12-story building cost $1,500,000 and was finished in 1904. At that time, it was the largest building in the city of San Francisco. It's also one of the few structures to survivor the 1906 quake.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s V.C. Morris Gift Shop at 140 Maiden Lane, whose circular ramp was the prototype design for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, is now an Italian men’s clothing store. “Upon its completion, it electrified the architectural world not only for its architecture, but for its radical interpretation of a retail store,” said the San Francisco’s Historic Preservation Commission who voted unanimously in 2016 to preserve the interior. The store, currently an Italian men’s clothing store called Isaia, has gone through several iterations over the years.

This pie-shaped office building is at the intersection of Market and O'Farrell and Grant Avenue. It’s also one of the city’s best flatirons. The San Francisco landmark was erected in 1908 shortly after the great quake of 1906.

One of San Francisco’s very few Eichler developments, this Russian Hill high-rise is a treat for any midcentury-modern fan. Designed by Neal Smith and Associates, the tower was completed in 1965.

Construction on this flatiron building started in 1906. Luckily, it survived the earthquake and was finished in 1907. Today, it's known for its distinctive shape and copper cladding (which has turned green over the years). After he was released from San Quentin, San Francisco's famously corrupt political boss Abe Ruef made his office in the top floor. Today it's owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola, and he maintains an office in the building.

The seven-story retail and office building at 130 Sutter, known as the Hallidie Building, completed 100 years ago in 1918, gave birth to the curtain wall. Writing for Curbed SF, Jay Barmann noted, “Many architecture historians consider it groundbreaking, some calling it the most important modern building in San Francisco.”

In true San Francisco fashion, the Transamerica Pyramid was reviled by many when it was completed in 1972 as the headquarters for the Transamerica Corporation (they no longer occupy it). The purpose of its tapered design is to let light onto the street below.

Back then, San Francisco Chronicle architectural critic Alan Temko called it "the biggest architectural dunce cap in the world." Now, it's one of the most beloved and recognizable buildings in the city.

They don't build skyscrapers like this anymore. The Russ Building is marked by a distinctive neo-Gothic facade with terra cotta tile and brick. The interior is just as spectacular featuring granite floors and marble wainscoting, elevator lobbies with ornate area rugs, and pendant light fixtures.

When the 32-floor edifice was finished in 1927, it was home to the city's first indoor parking garage. The building is a national historic landmark.

The neoclassical Hobart Building was finished in 1914 amid accusations of construction recklessness. Famed architect Willis Polk designed the structure. It featured a sculpted terra cotta exterior and handcrafted brass and Italian marble interiors. It's also a designated city landmark.

Maligned as giant white meringue when it opened, the Snøhetta-designed SFMOMA expansion is an architectural treat for the Yerba Buena neighborhood. The new 10-story contoured facade, inspired by San Francisco's fog and choppy bay waters, is made up of more than 700 white panels of fiberglass-reinforced polymer, which gives the exterior a wavy effect.

Other highlights include solid color bathrooms, Cory Lee’s In Situ eatery, and its original postmodern entrance by Mario Botta.

The Art Deco building at 140 New Montgomery started life as the headquarters for Pacific Telephone when it was built in 1925. It was the first high-rise south of Market Street. Today, it's where Yelp is located. It’s also where you can find one of the city’s most beautiful interiors; do stop by to check out the lobby if you’re in the area. Not to be missed.

The existing Ferry Building was built in 1898 on the site of the original 1875 wooden Ferry House. Before the bridges were built, the ferries were the only way to reach the city other than coming north from the Peninsula.

The San Francisco Ferry Building remains a terminal for ferries. Today it’s also the site of choice food shops and a bi-weekly farmers market. The building is topped by a distinctive clock tower.

Two major events happened inside one of Major League Baseball’s best ballparks: the San Francisco Giants played (and subsequently won) three World Series at the South Beach stadium, and Beyonce performed here. Two such blessings in and of themselves render this space sacred ground. But even without, this ballpark, built in 2000, is a stunning example of how to do a sports stadium right, from the brick facade to the views of the bay.