The San Francisco Art Institute, a 100-year-old landmark, was purchased by a nonprofit backed by billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs after bankruptcy. The $50 million Diego Rivera mural will be preserved during restoration, with new designs converting classrooms into studios and repairing the brutalist concrete structure.
The San Francisco Art Institute is finally getting its long overdue makeover. The San Francisco Art Institute was built over a century ago and designated an historic landmark in the 1970s. The original building is a Spanish colonial style building designed by Bakewell and Brown, and there was a massive brutalist addition in the 1960s designed by Pafford Keetich Clay. The 93,000 square foot property was sold out of bankruptcy to a nonprofit backed by billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs called BMA, and there's finally progress on efforts to restore the landmark with designs by Jensen Architects and Page and Turnbull. Work will include restoration of deteriorating concrete, preservation of a $50 million Diego Rivera mural inside the building, as well as an interior courtyard. Studio spaces will also be added featuring existing skylights, and old classrooms will be converted into studios and workshops. Looking forward to seeing how this beautiful building is brought back to life, and we'll definitely be giving you a tour when it reopens, so follow me for more updates.
