Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
historic place
The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts is a historic place in San Francisco's Mission District. The building at 2868 Mission Street was constructed in 1947 as a furniture store. In 1977, artists and community activists established the Mission Cultural Center here. Its purpose was to promote and preserve Latino cultural arts. The center became a hub for visual arts, music, theater, and dance. In 1988, a statewide survey recognized it as a significant Latino institution. The building's exterior features the "Spirits of the Arts" mural, painted in 1982 by Carlos Loarca, Manuel Villamor, and Betsie Miller-Kusz. This site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2020, and designated a San Francisco Landmark on June 3, 2022. The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts is historically important for its role in fostering Latino culture and artistic expression in San Francisco.