Construction begins on Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center at City College of San Francisco

Groundbreaking was recently held for the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center at City College of San Francisco (CCSF). The facility will be a new cultural and academic landmark for the city. It will become the permanent home of Diego Rivera’s iconic Pan American Unity mural and a vibrant hub for the performing arts.

Located along Frida Kahlo Way in a new academic precinct, the three-story, 77,000 sf building is designed to be the cultural heart of the CCSF campus. The project will provide a central base for the music and drama departments, featuring three state-of-the-art performance venues—a 600-seat multi-purpose performance hall, a 150-seat studio theater, and a 100-seat recital hall.

It will also house instructional spaces and administrative offices as well as lobbies, rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, a scene shop, dressing rooms, offices, and support spaces. 

The building’s open, glass-wrapped lobby will showcase the Diego Rivera Pan American Unity mural, inviting the campus community and the public to experience this historic work of art.

The Pan American Unity mural, painted by Diego Rivera in 1940, is a vivid representation of unity across the Americas. It spent decades in a theater lobby at City College of San Francisco and was recently exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This prominent setting will welcome building users, visitors and passersby, allowing the masterpiece to inspire and engage future generations.

The structure will be composed of concrete, metal panels, and a glass curtainwall. The building is targeting LEED Gold with displacement HVAC in the auditorium, radiant floor heating and cooling, and an extensive stormwater filtration and retention system. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

Owner and/or developer: City College of San Francisco
Design architect: LMN Architects
Architect of record: TEF Design
Plumbing Engineer:
MHC Engineers, Inc.
ME Engineer:
Interface Engineering
Structural engineer: SOHA Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: Rudolph and Sletten