Legion of Honor, Fine art museum in Lincoln Park, San Francisco, United States.
The Legion of Honor is a full-scale replica of the French Pavilion of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, itself modeled on the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris. Its pale stone facade has a tall central arch flanked by reclining winged figures, a columned portico below, and long colonnades with balustrades; carved lettering reads "HONNEUR ET PATRIE". A wide stairway leads to the doors.
The museum opened in 1924 as a memorial to California soldiers of World War I and was financed by Adolph and Alma Spreckels. The collection grew over the decades through donations and acquisitions, including the Achenbach Foundation with its collection of prints and drawings.
The name comes from the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris, whose 1782 building by Pierre Rousseau the museum copies; the French government allowed a permanent replica after the 1915 fair. The Court of Honor holds a cast of Rodin's The Thinker, and the Achenbach Foundation keeps over 90,000 works on paper.
Access is possible from Tuesday through Sunday between 9:30 AM and 5:15 PM, and advance reservation secures entry. The grounds sit in Lincoln Park, and visitors should bring a jacket for strong winds, as the ocean location is often cool.
The building reproduces the French pavilion from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 and marks the western end of the Lincoln Highway. A cast of Rodin's Thinker stands before the entrance, and visitors often photograph it before entering the galleries.
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