The San Francisco Columbarium is a neoclassical rotunda built in 1898, tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac in the Richmond District. Inside, a three-storey domed space holds 8,500 niches for cremated remains, many decorated by families with photographs, trinkets, and personal mementos -- baseball caps, wine bottles, model trains, love letters.
The building fell into disrepair for decades before being restored in the 1980s, and the stained glass windows and mosaic floors are now stunning. It sounds macabre, but the effect is more like visiting a beautiful, intimate museum of ordinary lives. Free to visit; open daily.