Seattle, Washington – January 22, 2026 – LMN and TEF Design are proud to announce the groundbreaking ceremony for the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center at City College of San Francisco (CCSF), marking a significant milestone in the creation of a new cultural and academic landmark for the city. The ceremony celebrates the start of construction on a building that 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 Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center 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—along with instructional spaces and administrative offices. The building’s open, glass-wrapped lobby will showcase the Diego Rivera Pan American Unity mural, inviting both the campus community and the public to experience this historic work of art.

“With construction now underway, we are excited to see the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center move from vision to reality,” said Douglas Tom, Partner at TEF Design. “Soon, the Pan American Unity mural will have a prominent, accessible home where students, residents, and visitors can experience its significance firsthand. This project not only marks a new chapter for the mural, but also for the CCSF campus and the broader San Francisco community, as we look forward to the theater becoming a vibrant center for culture and connection.”

The Pan American Unity mural, painted by Diego Rivera in 1940, is a vivid representation of unity across the Americas and has endured a remarkable journey to its new home. After decades in a theater lobby at City College of San Francisco and a recent exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the mural will soon be displayed in the new theater’s glass-wrapped lobby. This prominent setting will welcome building users, visitors and passersby, allowing the masterpiece to inspire and engage future generations.

“We are thrilled to see construction in progress on the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center, bringing us closer to realizing a transformative space for City College of San Francisco and the broader community,” said Sam Miller, Partner at LMN. “As the building takes shape, our excitement grows for the moment when students, artists, and visitors will experience world-class performance venues and the iconic Pan American Unity mural in its new, permanent home. This milestone reflects the dedication and collaboration of our entire team, and we look forward to the theater’s completion as a vibrant cultural asset for San Francisco.”

“What excites me most is how this building will work day-to-day: students rehearsing, learning, building sets, and stepping onto stages designed to support them at a professional level. This is a home for the performing arts and it will be alive from morning to night” noted TEF Partner Paul Cooper. “It’s inspiring to see our design vision come to life,” added John Chau, Partner at LMN. “The building’s open, glass-wrapped lobby and the arrangement of performance venues around the Pan American Unity mural create a truly unique experience for both the campus and the city.”

The groundbreaking on January 22nd of the Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center marks the beginning of a new chapter for CCSF and the San Francisco arts community, establishing a destination for education, performance, and cultural engagement for years to come.

Based in San Francisco, TEF Design is an award-winning collective of architects and interior designers recognized for their regional portfolio of cultural and academic projects such as the Bayview Opera House, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Stanford Neuroscience Health Center, and UC Berkeley’s Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science in Emeryville.

LMN, recipient of the 2016 AIA National Architecture Firm Award, is known for designing innovative civic and cultural projects across North America, including Benaroya Hall, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, University of Iowa Voxman Music Building, and The Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts. The firm’s ongoing dedication to communities at all scales is underscored by its important, impactful work across North America.

Learn more about the project here.