diego rivera theater in san francisco will be home to one of the artist’s iconic murals

unveiling the diego rivera theater proposal in san francisco 

LMN Architects and San Francisco-based TEF Design teamed up to design the Diego Rivera Theater, which is set to become the cultural heart of the City College of San Francisco campus in California. Placed in a new academic precinct along Frida Kahlo Avenue, the project will be the home of Mexican painter Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural while providing a central base for the music and drama academic departments. The building will also include three new performing arts venues along with instructional and administrative spaces, making it an important building on campus and within the larger San Francisco cultural community. 

honoring the mexican painter’s pan american unity mural

Originally painted on Treasure Island for the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940, the mural has not been widely viewed by the public until recently displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. ‘Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural holds immense cultural significance as a vivid representation of the artist’s vision for unity across the Americas. The artwork emphasizes the interconnectedness and solidarity between these diverse American nations, featuring a vibrant tapestry of figures that weave together historical, cultural, and industrial scenes from various regions. In the years after its creation, the mural faced a series of challenges, and at one point, it was considered lost. The mural’s journey reflects its enduring power to inspire and unite people, overcoming various obstacles and ultimately becoming a cherished centerpiece of public art,’ write the architects. 

After its tumultuous 70-year history, the mural will finally reside in the theater. LMN Architects (see more here) and the team at TEF Design will place the artwork as a centerpiece in the theater’s lobby wrapped in a glass wall to display the art to both the building’s users and pedestrians outside. 

a connective performance hub by lmn architects + tef desgn 

Program-wise, the Diego Rivera Theater is an open and welcoming building that integrates into the existing circulation patterns of the campus and facilitates a pathway between the adjacent STEAM and MUB Buildings. It includes three varying-sized concrete blocks, each containing a separate performance venue. These venues will house a 600-seat performance hall, 150-seat studio theater, and 100-seat recital hall—all optimized for different performance experiences. The building will also contain plentiful instructional spaces, practice rooms, and administrative offices.

LMN Architects shares its thoughts on the design: ‘The project reflects the highly interdisciplinary character of performance venues in the 21st century and is defined by the open lobby and a composition of program blocks that are organized around the mural. Designed from the inside-out, the project takes advantage of the building program, the views, and the circulation patterns around campus. The lobby will showcase the artwork and will allow students and visitors to admire the mural from multiple angles.’

project info:

name: The Diego Rivera Theater

location: San Francisco, California

client: City College of San Francisco

architecture: LMN Architects | @lmnarchitects, TEF Design | @tefdesign_sf

LMN project team: John Chau, AIA, Vernita Lytle, Sam Miller, FAIA, Sonja Miranda, 
Erik Perka, Assoc. AIA, Jennifer Sasahara, AIA, Zihao Wang

TEF project team: Justin Blinn, AIA, Paul Cooper, AIA, Mrunalini Kulkarni, Douglas Tom, FAIA

structural engineering: SOHA Engineers

ME engineering: Interface Engineering

civil engineering: BFK Engineers 

plumbing engineering: MHC Engineering 

landscaping: Creo Landscape Architecture 

lighting design: HLB Lighting

theatrical consultant/AV: The Shalleck Collaborative, Inc.

accoustical: Jaffe Holden

cost estimating: Directional Logic

site area: 8,640 sqm 

total floor area: 7,153.5 sqm 

building height: 21 m

number of floors: 3