The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ( formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium ) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco , California , named after promoter Bill Graham . It was designed by renowned Bay Area architect John Galen Howard and built in 1915 as part of the Panama -- Pacific International Exposition . The Civic Center in San Francisco , California , is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city 's largest government and cultural institutions .
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was built in Florida.