The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was the first United States commission for Swiss architect Mario Botta. The Modernist building was opened in celebration of SFMoMA's 60th anniversary and, for the first time, provided enough gallery space to display SFMoMA's complete collection of modern art.
The steel frame is covered with textured and patterned brickwork, one of Botta's tradmarks. The five-story tower in the rear is made up of galleries and offices.The design allows room for future expansion.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art also contains many community-oriented features, including a 280-seat theater, two large workshop spaces, an event space, a museum store, a café, a library with 85,000 books, and a classroom. The interior space is flooded with natural light, thanks to skylights on the steeped rooftop and atop the central atrium which emerges from the roof.
