San Francisco Art Institute
historic place
The San Francisco Art Institute, a significant historic place, traces its origins to 1871 as the San Francisco Art Association. It was established as one of the oldest art schools in the United States, and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Over time, it evolved through names like the California School of Design and the California School of Fine Arts, before becoming the San Francisco Art Institute in 1961. In 1926, the institution moved to its main campus at 800 Chestnut Street on Russian Hill. This original 1926 building was designated San Francisco Landmark No. 85 in 1977 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The institute played a role in early photographic history, hosting Eadweard Muybridge's first public showing of a moving picture in 1880. In 1931, Diego Rivera painted his fresco, 'The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City,' within the school's gallery, a mural designated a San Francisco Landmark in 2021. Ansel Adams also founded the country's first department of art photography here in 1945. The San Francisco Art Institute closed permanently in July 2022. This location represents a long history of artistic development and education in San Francisco.