de Young Museum, San Francisco — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The de Young Museum has been reborn from disaster more than once. It first opened in 1895 in an Egyptian Revival building constructed for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. Named after early San Francisco newspaperman M.H. de Young, the museum seemed destined for permanence until the 1906 earthquake severely damaged it, forcing an 18-month closure.

The building survived for another eight decades before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake inflicted damage so severe that the entire structure had to be demolished. The museum reopened in 2005 in a striking new building designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, its copper facade designed to oxidize and eventually blend with the green of Golden Gate Park.

The only surviving elements from the original building are the vases and sphinxes near the Pool of Enchantment, a poignant connection to the museum's 19th-century origins.

Inside, the collection spans American art from the 17th through 21st centuries, with over 1,000 paintings, 800 sculptures, and 3,000 decorative art pieces. The museum is also home to nearly 2,000 works of indigenous American art from Mesoamerica, Central and South America, and the west coast of North America.

The observation tower offers free access and sweeping views of Golden Gate Park and the city beyond. A Questo quest through the park connects the de Young with nearby landmarks, including the Cervantes Monument and the Japanese Tea Garden.