“City Rising” San Francisco and the 1915 World’s Fair: Opening Day | SoMa

Submitted by the Event Organizer

100th Anniversary of the Panama-Pacific Int’l Exposition (PPIE)

February 20, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), the World’s Fair celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal and showcasing San Francisco—its recovery from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire and its world trade potential.

Throughout 2015, the PPIE100, a citywide consortium of cultural, civic, and historical organizations, will conduct centennial programs to commemorate the PPIE’s historical significance and to reflect on its legacy. 

> View all PPIE 2015 Events – tons of them are free.

Sunday, February 22, 2015
100th Anniversary of the Panama-Pacific Int’l Exposition (PPIE)

In celebration of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition (PPIE)’s centennial anniversary, the California Historical Society presents “City Rising: San Francisco and the 1915 World’s Fair” an exhibit exploring the PPIE as a critical event that shaped the San Francisco we know today—a city undaunted by tragedy, audaciously innovative, rising to meet the challenges of the day.

City Rising: San Francisco and the 1915 World’s Fair
February 22, 2015 – December 6, 2015
California Historical Society, 678 Mission St., SF
$5 Admission

Please note that the opening day at California Historical Society is Sunday February 22nd and not Saturday as was previously listed.

City Rising at the CHS headquarters on Mission Street is an in-depth account of the fair—its planning, construction, and extraordinary components—from how San Francisco became host of the exhibition, to the fair’s remarkable innovations, to its attractions and concessions. Through vintage photographs, souvenirs, and other artifacts, visitors will journey inside the exposition to see what fairgoers encountered 100 years ago.

A video series with architects, historians, curators, authors, and memorabilia collectors—all of whom embody the spirit of the fair—provides a contemporary perspective to this important cornerstone of San Francisco’s past, bringing history alive for our age.

On view every night after dark until 10pm is Engineers of Illumination, a projected light project by Optic Flare. This series of artist-based, projected-light installations uses CHS’s windows to honor the stunning achievements of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915. Throughout 2015, six light-based artists will show an after-dark artwork for the gallery’s front and side windows, each running for approximately six weeks.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.