Contemporary Jewish Museum Opens in San Francisco

Today, the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) opens its new Daniel Libeskind-designed building located at 736 Mission Street (between Third and Fourth Streets) in downtown San Francisco's Yerba Buena cultural district. The CJM is an adaptive reuse of the landmark 1907 Jessie Street Power Substation. Mr. Libeskind's design for the new 63,000-square-foot building preserves the character-defining features of the substation and introduces bold contemporary spaces dedicated to galleries, performances and education programs. The CJM embodies the Museum's mission to be a lively center for engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds with Jewish culture, and it greatly increases the Museum's space for exhibitions and innovative programs in visual, performing and media arts.

Under the creative direction of architect Daniel Libeskind, the CJM's new home revives the long-abandoned Jessie Street Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Power Substation building and reflects the Museum's programmatic vision. Designed by Willis Polk in 1907, the substation played a key role in restoring energy to San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Characteristic of Mr. Libeskind's designs for his building commissions, the structural addition to the original substation is resonant with symbolism. Inspired by the Hebrew phrase "L'Chaim" (To Life), the architect based the extension's conceptual organizing principles on the two symbolic Hebrew letters of "chai," the "chet" and the "yud." In partnership with San Francisco-based WRNS Studio, Libeskind created a dynamic contemporary design intimately connected to the museum-going experience.

The most distinctive feature of the new addition to the Jessie Street Power Substation is its "skin" of over 3,000 luminous blue steel panels. The blue color of the steel is achieved through a procedure called interference-coating. Since there are no dyes or pigments to decay, the color will never fade or chalk. The building is the first to feature a unique cross-hatching surface finish, which helps to diffuse and soften the reflection of light off the blue stainless steel. These panels appear to change color depending on the time of day, the weather, and the viewer's position, creating a dynamic, "living" surface.

The CJM's new facility represents one of the last pieces of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency's plan to revitalize the Yerba Buena district, which is located in downtown San Francisco's South of Market Street (SoMa) neighborhood. During the mid-90s, when the area underwent significant transformation, the Agency granted the Museum use of the Jessie Street Power Substation. The district has become one of the densest museum areas in the country with 12 cultural institutions located within a 16 block radius. The neighborhood will be further enhanced with the development of Jessie Square, a new public plaza situated in front of the new CJM, which promises to be a landscaped community gathering place.

"We look forward to opening our doors and to welcoming visitors to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in June," states Connie Wolf, director and CEO of the CJM. "Our inaugural programs and exhibitions and our beautiful new home, designed with such passion by Daniel Libeskind, will draw together people, art, and ideas to engage with Jewish culture in new and exciting ways."

For general information about the Contemporary Jewish Museum, call (415) 655-7800 or visit http://www.thecjm.org.

About Studio Daniel Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind, B.Arch. M.A. BDA AIA is an international figure in architectural practice and urban design. He is well known for introducing a new critical discourse into architecture and for his multidisciplinary approach. His practice extends from building major cultural and commercial institutions -- including museums and concert halls -- to convention centers, universities, housing, hotels, shopping centers and residential work. Daniel Libeskind established his architectural studio in Berlin, Germany in 1989. Upon winning the design study for the World Trade Center Site in February 2003, Studio Daniel Libeskind (SDL) moved its headquarters to New York City, and the office is now headquartered two blocks south of the original World Trade Center site.

SDL also has two European offices based in Zurich, Switzerland and Milan, Italy; as well as a number of site offices located around the world: San Francisco, Denver, Bern, Toronto, Milan and Hong Kong. SDL has won commissions for major cultural buildings and significant urban projects in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, U.K., Ireland, Italy, Canada, U.S., Japan, Spain, Israel, Mexico, Korea, Singapore and China. For more information, visit http://daniel-libeskind.com.