ZGF designs a proposed Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego
A proposed Navy SEAL Museum designed by ZGF Architects would have a fitting home on San Diego’s waterfront. The SEALs and their predecessors have been rooted in the San Diego area since 1945.
Located at the northern end of Lane Field Park along Harbor Drive, the $256 million museum intends to preserve the heritage of the Navy SEALs, honor the fallen, and care for Special Operations families.
With a shape evocative of a warship, the four-story, 85,000-sf building’s massing uses angular geometries to convey momentum while preserving sightlines to the harbor. The perforated blue metal skin draws inspiration from SEAL watercraft and equipment while creating textural depth.
Rising to the building’s full 65-foot height, the central atrium will accommodate large, suspended artifacts such as military aircraft.
At the park’s northern edge, the building lifts to form a shaded lobby, inviting the community at one of the waterfront’s most active pedestrian corridors. A shallow pool at the museum’s Harbor Drive entry reflects the building’s sculpted mass and reinforces the museum’s relationship to water.
The youth education space and cafe are placed at the museum’s northeast corner, which opens onto a pedestrian-friendly street. The fourth floor includes an event space and terrace overlooking the harbor.
Inside, the museum emphasizes storytelling and narrative clarity. The exhibition space guides visitors through the SEALs’ history, starting with their origins in World War II. Skylights and a high-performance envelope provide carefully calibrated daylight to support exhibit needs.
In April, the Board of Port Commissioners for the San Diego Unified Port District voted unanimously to begin the state-mandated environmental review of the museum proposal. (The action does not constitute project approval, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.)
The developers hope to begin construction in 2029, with the museum opening by 2032.
On the building team: Navy SEAL Museum San Diego (owner, developer, and leaseholder), Hensel Phelps Development (fee developer), ZGF Architects (design architect and architect of record on initial concept design), Hensel Phelps (general contractor).
