Long-Awaited Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center Finally Breaks Ground
City officials and college leaders come together to celebrate the commencement of the $180 million performing arts center.
By Qi Mai
City College finally broke ground on the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center, a $181 million project that will install Rivera’s famous mural, “Pan American Unity,” in the new theatre’s lobby behind tall glass windows.
Chancellor Kimberlee Messina joined more than 100 community members, students, faculty, and city leaders to mark this historic event on Jan. 22.
60 Years of Dedication
Madeline Mueller, chair of the Music and Theatre Department, was present at the event.
When Mueller began working at City College in the ‘60s, she recalled that the college was best known at the time for being home to the mural, originally titled “The Marriage of the Artistic Expression of the North and of the South on This Continent.”
She described the groundbreaking as the culmination of decades of planning.
Mueller announced that progress became possible only when faculty, staff, students, community members, and elected officials worked together to secure land, a plan, funding, and long-term commitment.
She invited the public to share their stories and support the friends of the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center.
William Maynez, a former City College faculty member and mural historian, has been the mural's self-appointed steward for 25 years. He walked from his Mission District home five days a week for three years, just to be near it when it was on display at SFMOMA from 2021-24.
Maynez reflected on the many people who contributed to the mural’s preservation, including Julia Bergman, who died in 2017.
“There is a pool of good. No matter where you put in your drop, the whole pool rises,” Maynez said.
Mayor Daniel Lurie called the groundbreaking a milestone for City College. He emphasized that San Franciscans believe in City College.
“We made City College history,” he said.
Mayor Lurie said that the new arts center will serve as a hub for students, artists, and the surrounding community. It will offer professional training for future performers while providing new opportunities for performances, exhibitions, and cultural events.
He also praised the Free City program for providing free tuition to many San Francisco residents.
Other speakers included Marco A. Mena, Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco, Rafael Mandelman, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Myrna Melgar; Joaquin Torres, assessor-recorder of San Francisco; Michael Medina-Snider; and leaders from the California Community Colleges.
Cultural Centerpiece
Vice Chancellor David Yee shared that the new arts center will help increase student enrollment and expand access to City College’s high-quality education. He said the Enrollment Management Commission is developing long-term strategies to attract more students and strengthen the college’s sustainable development.
Protecting Pan American Unity also supports education and future development. Jerry Dear, information strategist at the San Francisco Public Library and former City College librarian, encouraged scholars and students to explore Rivera resources, including the City College Diego Rivera online portal and the special Rivera Collection in the Rosenberg Library Room R510.
Lisa Velarde, a librarian and former mural docent, said she was thrilled to see construction begin. She noted that the Diego Rivera Archive, which includes photos, documents, and books about the mural, will finally have a proper home in the building. Velarde is a member of the Academic Senate Works of Art Committee.
Michael Adams, a music student, said the mural inspired him to design a ceremonial shovel for the groundbreaking.
Marvin Segismundo, an aerospace engineering student, plans to take art classes once the center opens. He said the environment will be inspiring for everyone.
The 74-foot-wide, 22-foot-tall mural weighs 30 tons. First displayed at Treasure Island after Sept. 29, 1939, it was later installed in the lobby of the now-closed Diego Rivera Theater. When the new building opens, the mural will be mounted in the front lobby.
Designed by LMN Architects, a Seattle-based firm, the center will include a 600-seat multipurpose performance hall, 150-seat studio theater, 100-seat recital hall, classrooms, practice rooms, and offices.
Despite challenges — including recessions, COVID-19, and financial constraints — the project survived. The building was scaled down from 100,000 to 77,000 square feet, with a $181 million budget funded by a 2020 bond measure. Construction is expected to finish in 2028.
