it is an open air park. i don't think it "closes" at all.

Hola. Es gratis. Cuando yo estuve solo se podía visitar por fuera y creo que es siempre así. Está en un parque cerca de la zona del presidio.

We took the bus from downtown, we felt safe in this location. We ubered back after walking the bay

While you are there Im presuming you will go in to the Presidio National Park which is a beautiful park We walked through the park before heading to the palace of fine arts., check out the presidio Social Club which is the old army barracks. Good food and good prices

One person stays inside. Please do not leave all personal effects in the car alone. 100% that you will never ever see it again.

Yes. Bring someone with you to stay in the car. Children with backpacks have thick brick or heavy rock in it to break the tourists' cars.

Greetings Tara L., I can understand your concern about crime and the homeless in San Francisco. You will have absolutely no problems at dusk in this area. The homes surrounding the Fine Arts Center are what you would call upper class. This is a REALLY nice neighborhood. I would think the homes surrounding the Fine Arts Center will fetch 1 to 5 million if they were on the market. I have photographed the Fine Arts Center as late as 11:00 PM and have had absolutely no problems with neighbors, park visitors, park police etc. The dusk time frame visit will be very nice. Wait for the blue hour, between sunset and one hour later. That is when the Fine Arts Center is at its best. Try to park on Baker. During the day parking along Baker can be hit or miss because of all the visitors. But as dusk approaches most people leave and you can usually find parking on Baker right in front of the Center on the park side (West side) of the street. Try to approach the Center from the North, leaving the Presidio by driving South. It is a little easier to get parking on Baker when driving South.Be really conscious of the resident's drive ways if you have to park "off street". We want to be as nice to them as we can when visiting their neighborhood. So, I hope this helps. You will be just fine there at dusk. Let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns I might be able to help with. Safe Travels. Cheers, Rich

no it is completely free to the public. The only problem you might have will be working around the public.

Greetings Ghie, I would go with late afternoon as the light would be fairly uniform with the sun being on the West, less interesting side, of the facility. The photographer should have an easier time getting wedding shots with external flashes rather than using reflectors. Photos with the sun in the back will make portraits a little easier to get with speedlites, etc. Just my opinion on dealing with light for the pictures..... Plus, if you go into the evening towards the blue hour the building and columns will be lit, but you will still have blue sky (not black) and the dome will show nicely. Think about tux color if you go late into the evening as black will be hard to separate from black, unlit areas in the background. Just a thought.....Chrissy Field is a stones throw away and you can get some wedding shots with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Congratulations on the wedding. You will have a wonderful and memorable wedding with it being held at the Place of Fine Arts. Cheers, Rich

5PM is the office closing time....the venue closes at different times depending on the event