The Museo Italo Americano has been located in San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center for over four decades, in a 5,000 square foot space that it has long outgrown. Looking to support its growing programming, the Museo is pursuing the renovation of a former warehouse received through a donor’s estate to serve as its future home. That new home will create a dynamic place dedicated to showcasing Italian-American heritage, allowing the Museo to expand and enhance its exhibitions and cultural programming.

The existing three-story structure, located in the Northern Waterfront district, will greatly increase the amount of space available to the organization. Modernizing the 1917 building with structural and safety upgrades will allow the building to be repurposed into an integrated cultural center, providing expanded opportunities for the community to gather and learn about Italian and Italian-American art and culture.

On the ground floor, the new facility will feature the Museo’s primary collections and a gift shop. Expanded gallery space highlighting Italian immigration and the history of Italian-Americans in California, administrative offices, and new classrooms for Italian language instruction will be located on the lower level. The second floor will be transformed into a special event space complete with a commercial kitchen, to host a variety of cultural programming including cooking classes, events, and private rentals for the Museo. And the third floor will be dedicated to commercial space.