San Francisco’s historic hub for Latino arts at 2868 Mission Street will remain a dedicated cultural center for generations to come, following a unanimous resolution adopted Tuesday by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Authored by District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, the resolution affirms the city’s commitment to preserving the building as a Latino arts and culture space during and after a major seismic retrofit scheduled to begin in 2027.
“It is a priceless, priceless place of future-making for the Mission,” Fielder said after the vote.
The resolution is separate from ongoing community efforts to save the nonprofit Mission Cultural Center for the Latino Arts (MCCLA), which was founded in 1977 and declared bankruptcy earlier this year. The organization has been unstaffed since late January.
The 37,000-square-foot building, owned by the San Francisco Arts Commission, is expected to remain closed for approximately three years while undergoing retrofitting.
Community members urged the Board to act swiftly to preserve the site’s cultural mission.
Emily Pimentel said the 37,000-square-foot, four-story space is not just a building, but “a living cultural institution for visual arts, murals, printmaking.”
Macy Pili Hernández, a community activist, described the building’s role during the ongoing SFUSD strike.
“We were in the rain taking care of kids locked out of school because the Mission Cultural Center is closed,” she said. “It should be the first place that we open as a strike school. We can print posters, we have dance spaces, we have stages, we can practice in small groups with young people. That’s what it’s made for.”
Calle 24 Executive Director Susana Rojas, who is leading the effort to revive MCCLA, said more than 300 people gathered last week to explore solutions. Their next meeting is scheduled for March.
“MCCLA will never be what it once was,” Rojas said. “We’re looking at the possibility of a new fiscal sponsor for the organization. But solutions are going to take time and effort.” She ruled out a merger with another Mission District arts organization to prevent the cultural center “from losing its identity.”
In a statement, Mayor Daniel Lurie said he “is committed to the future of the site and is working in close partnership with community leaders, artists, and cultural stakeholders to chart a path forward that safeguards MCCLA’s cultural legacy, art, and archives.”
As the seismic work moves ahead, “the city will continue to explore opportunities to ensure that the 2868 Mission Street site can continue to serve as a vibrant cultural space for generations to come,” the statement said.
Supervisors Myrna Melgar, Chyanne Chen, Shamann Walton and Rafael Mandelman co-sponsored Fielder’s resolution.
“I danced Afro-Latin dance at Carnaval since I was 18 and throughout three pregnancies,” said Melgar. “My girls dance now and they dance with me. Dance is an important part of how we connect to our community and our culture, and it happens in that building.”
Melgar criticized what she described as historic funding disparities.
“This would never have happened if it were the San Francisco Ballet or the Opera,” she said. “This was the direct result of an underserved community that doesn’t have as many resources, but desperately needs that connection to community, to culture, and the arts.”
While there is no imminent threat that the building at Mission and 24th streets will be converted to another use, Fielder said the resolution ensures the city’s commitment is clearly stated.
“The Board of Supervisors are rolling out giveaways and tax breaks to property owners and developers that have money and connections,” she said.
“Because of how wealth is racialized,” she added, “it affects Black and brown communities the most.”