Contemporary Jewish Museum

Location: San Francisco, CA | Client: The Contemporary Jewish Museum / San Francisco Redevelopment Agency

Client Type:
Cultural

The current home of the Contemporary Jewish Museum was originally a substation for PG&E and was vacant for nearly 30 years before being adaptively reused by the Museum. ARG was involved in the early stages for the Museum’s design, working to preserve the buildings significant features and integrate them into Daniel Liebeskind's bold design. The design was unveiled in 2005 and the Museum opened to the public in June 2008.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The beautiful, asymmetrical building was originally constructed in the nineteenth century and rebuilt to designs by Willis Polk after the 1906 earthquake, with an almost seamless addition added by him in 1909.

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Much of the interior of the building was demolished, but ARG was instrumental in preserving the original trusses within the new spaces.

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ARG’s conservators tested, treated, and preserved the original fine terra cotta ornament.