The city has now officially purchased a shopping center in San Francisco's Castro district for what will become the country's first free-standing LGBTQ history museum and archival center. Mayor London Breed's administration signed the paperwork Tuesday.
Three years ago, Breed had allocated $12.5 million in city funds toward the museum project. As the Bay Area Reporter was first to report in September, the city bought 2280 Market Street at Noe Street for $11.6 million.
The two-story building with rooftop parking is known as the Market & Noe Center. It will be the new home of the GLBT Historical Society, which must now finalize a lease agreement with the city and the Community Arts Stabilization Trust. Known as CAST, the community-centered, arts and culture focused real estate organization works to secure and steward affordable spaces for nonprofit arts and culture organizations in San Francisco and will hold the master lease until such time when the nonprofit archival group can take over ownership of the 14,640 square foot parcel.
"It's amazing to see the dream of the nation's first LGBTQ museum become a reality right here in San Francisco. Today, we celebrate yet another amazing milestone of our efforts to secure a space that celebrates, honors, and preserves San Francisco's LGBTQ+ history and culture," stated Breed. "We dedicate this historic moment to the fearless community, partners, and advocates who have been champions for our city's LGBTQ community, ensuring the forever home for this museum in the Castro."
It will be up to the administration of Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie to hammer out the lease and bring it before the Board of Supervisors for approval sometime in mid-2025. The supervisors earlier this month had given their final approval for the city's purchase of the upper Market Street property.
"This is a historic day for San Francisco and our LGBTQ+ community," stated gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro at City Hall and has long championed the museum project. "With this purchase, a two-decades-long dream of securing a permanent home for the GLBT Historical Society Museum is finally a reality. The museum will serve as a local and international destination and a community hub to elevate the stories and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals, ensuring they are celebrated and remembered for generations to come."
It remains unclear when the historical society will be able to relocate the exhibits in its current museum housed in a small storefront on 18th Street into the 11,000 square foot second floor of the shopping center. Estimates have varied from a year once they are given the keys to 2027 due to needing time to remodel what, until recently, had been the offices of a real estate firm.
The nonprofit also rents space downtown for its archives, research center, and administrative offices, all of which are also to be housed in the shopping center site at some point. Museum officials have said they will embark on a fundraising drive to raise the money they need for their relocation and new museum plans.
Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) had secured $5.5 million in state funds for the project, which must be used by early 2026. The money is expected to be put toward relocating the museum into the 30,000 square foot commercial building that was constructed in 1987.
"This museum will ensure future generations can learn from that history for many years to come. We worked hard to obtain support for the museum in the state budget, and I look forward to adding another new attraction to our thriving ecosystem of world-class San Francisco LGBTQ institutions," stated Wiener.
The plan is for the LGBTQ museum to expand into the building's ground floor spaces when the current commercial tenants' leases expire. Barry's Bootcamp is subleasing its storefront from CVS and can remain through 2040, while Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care has a lease for its clinic through 2036.
Initially, the city will retain 10% of the combined $58,000 in monthly lease payments from the commercial tenants and put the rest of the money into a separate reserve account to be used by the historical society for capital improvements and possibly programming. Once the lease agreements with CAST and the historical society are approved, then CAST will receive the 10% for taking on the property manager role.
"With the purchase now completed, we are thrilled to begin planning and building our new home in the heart of the Castro," stated Roberto Ordeñana, a gay man who is executive director of the LGBTQ preservationist nonprofit. "This is more than just a physical space; it is a permanent home for our history, where the stories, struggles, and triumphs of LGBTQ and allied communities will be preserved and shared for generations to come. As we look ahead to our 40th anniversary in 2025, this milestone comes at a critical time when our voices need to be heard, and our work has never been more important in elevating and amplifying our stories."
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