San Francisco walking tours, Californian building guides, Bay Area architectural walks, US architects visit
San Francisco Architecture Tours
Californian Architecture Guides – Exclusive Bay Area Architectural Walks, USA, tailor made for groups.
post updated January 15, 2025
Contact us for your walking guide in California on [email protected]
San Francisco Architecture Tour: Exclusive Guided Walks
Our San Francisco guided tours are all tailored to suit each booking, we do not allow for bookings to be joined. Our guided tours in North California are all exclusive to each client.
Some recent architectural designs in the city:
Oceanwide Center San Francisco Building design by Foster + Partners:
image courtesy of architects
Salesforce Transit Center design by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects:
image courtesy of architects
San Francisco Walking Tours
Should you be planning an architectural trip in Northern California please contact us at e-architect.
San Francisco Architecture Introduction
San Francisco is located in the northwest of the United States of America. Celebrated Bay area buildings include the Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco by Studio Libeskind, the V. C. Morris Gift Shop by Frank Lloyd Wright, the de Young Museum San Francisco by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, SFMOMA Expansion by Norway’s Snøhetta, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art by Mario Botta / HOK, Federal building by Morphosis Architecture and of course the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Golden 1 Center Sacramento Building design by AECOM with DZ Architects in 2017:
image courtesy of architects office
Famous architects with buildings in the city include Snøhetta, Daniel Libeskind and Foster + Partners. Famous 20th Century architects to build in the Bay Area include Frank Lloyd Wright and Mario Botta. Other significant architects offices with work in the city include Ennead Architects, Gensler, Rafael Viñoly Architects, CCS Architecture, NBBJ, AECOM and Page & Turnbull.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art building design by architect Mario Botta / HOK:
picture © Andrew McRae
Other recent important buildings to visit include the Bing Concert Hall, Stanford, south of San Francisco, Contemporary Jewish Museum by architects Studio Libeskind, the Congregation Beth Sholom Synagogue by Stanley Saitowitz / Natoma Architects and 25 Lusk by CCS Architecture.
Apple Campus 2, Cupertino, San Jose building design by British architects Foster + Partners with global engineering firm Arup:
image from Apple
Apple Campus 2 Building
Northern Californian architecture projects to look out for in future – i.e. still at design or construction stage – include Golden State Warriors Sports and Entertainment Arena designed by Snøhetta + AECOM Golden State Warriors Arena San Francisco ; Facebook Campus Expansion, Menlo Park, by California-based Canadian architect Frank Gehry ; Google Bay View Complex, Mountain View, Clara County, by NBBJ Architects.
V. C. Morris Gift Shop, 1948 by celebrated 20th Century American architect Frank Lloyd Wright:
photo from Xanadu Gallery
San Francisco Architectural Designs – chronological list
San Francisco Architecture Walking Tours
San Francisco Architectural Tours can focus on contemporary Bay area buildings or traditional buildings, or a mix of both. e-architect would be glad to help with your itinerary preparations ahead of your visit to the Bay Area.
Naturally our SF architectural tours can extend out to Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley. Let us know please if there are specific buildings your group wishes to visit in the Bay Area.
San Francisco Walking Tours
Contact e-architect to arrange your San Francisco architectural tour on isabelle(at)e-architect.com or mob.
Manetti Shrem Museum of Art Building by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, architects / SO – IL, architects, USA:
photo : Iwan Baan / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Architecture Tours
Other than San Francisco, e-architect organise Architecture Walking Tours in other cities such as Los Angeles, Vancouver, Chicago, New York, Boston. We also offer architectural city walks across the globe, for example in cities such as Edinburgh, London, Mexico City and Paris.
photograph © Andrew McRae
Location: San Francisco, Northern California, United States of America
US Building Tours – Selection
Los Angeles Architecture Walking Tours
Chicago Architecture Walking Tours
Boston Architecture Walking Tours
San Francisco Architecture
New Northern Californian Architectural Designs – recent selection on e-architect:
Bing Concert Hall, Stanford, south of San Francisco
Design: Ennead Architects with Fisher Dachs Associates and Nagata Acoustics
SFMOMA Expansion
Design: Snøhetta
Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building
Design: Rafael Viñoly Architects
Stanford University Building
Design: Ennead Architects
Golden Gate Bridge
Design: Irving F. Morrow / Gertrude C. Morrow
V. C. Morris Gift Shop, 1948, design by US architect Frank Lloyd Wright:
photo from Xanadu Gallery
The V. C. Morris Gift Shop is located at 140 Maiden Lane in downtown San Francisco, California, United States. The store was designed by celebrated US architect Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) in 1948.
The shop was used by Wright as a physical prototype, or proof of concept for the circular ramp at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
All of the built-in furniture is constructed out of black walnut, and is original to the renovation. This furniture was designed by Manuel Sandoval, who apprenticed and worked with Frank Lloyd Wright
Xanadu Gallery closed in 2015. They had spent around a million dollars to restore the building to FLW’s vision. Aaron Green led the property restoration. He had worked with Frank Lloyd Wright on other projects such as the Marin Civic Center, San Rafael, California.
The building was apparently sold to a high-end designer fashion boutique as of July 2015 by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. In August 2017, ISAIA Napoli, an Italian men’s fashion store, moved into the building.
This 1940s building is one of seventeen American buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that the AIA has designated to be retained as an example of his architectural contribution to American culture. The building was listed in 2007 at number 126 on the American Institute of Architects’ list of the 150 favorite buildings in America.
Website: Visit San Francisco
American Architectural Designs
New American Architectural Designs – key selection from e-architect:
photo © Andrew McRae
Comments / photos for the San Francisco Building Tours – Californian Architecture Guides tailor made for groups by e-architect page welcome.
