The Rotunda – Palace of Fine Arts, Marina District, San Francisco, California

Built around a small artificial lagoon, the Palace of Fine Arts is composed of a wide, 1,100 ft (340 m) colonnade around a central domed rotunda situated by the water. The rotunda is 135 feet high. The lagoon was intended to echo those found in classical settings in Europe, where the expanse of water provides a mirror surface to reflect the grand buildings and an undisturbed vista to appreciate them from a distance.