Peter L. Stein

From its unique cable cars that conquered impossible hills, to its first in the nation City-owned transit agency, to the current wave of ride-sharing companies and autonomous vehicles, San Francisco has been a constant laboratory for how to move people through an urban landscape.

One of the most extraordinary civic buildings in America, San Francisco's City Hall rose from the rubble of the 1906 earthquake to become both the symbol of a resilient citizenry and the epicenter of a city in constant change. "The People's Palace" commemorates this remarkable piece of architecture and the dramatic events that have taken place under its dome: labor strife, political assassinations, civil rights struggles, and celebrations that have forged the character of contemporary San Francisco. Featuring interviews with mayors, journalists, scholars, and everyday citizens who have witnessed history within its walls.

From the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning PBS series NEIGHBORHOODS: THE HIDDEN CITIES OF SAN FRANCISCO comes the remarkable story of San Francisco's Fillmore District. Remembered today mainly for its rock & roll auditorium, the Fillmore District is one of the great cautionary tales of American urban life. From the wholesale removal of Japanese Americans during World War II, to the jazz heyday of the 1950s, to the bulldozers of urban renewal, the Fillmore District has seen its share of drama.

Now known internationally as the world's first "gay hometown," San Francisco's Castro District was a quiet, working-class neighborhood of European immigrants only a few decades ago. In this documentary, the story of the Castro's transformation is told by those who lived it, young and old, straight and gay. It's a tale of social upheaval, exuberant street culture, political assassination, and the inspiring coming-of-age of an entire community an ongoing saga even today.

8/10