The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) announced it will sell its building in downtown San Francisco.
The non-collecting museum was founded in 1984 and has long been located in a brick substation from the 19th century designed by Willis Polk with a deconstructivist addition completed in 2008 by Daniel Libeskind.
It is unclear at this time what will happen to the Libeskind building, inspired by the Hebrew phrase l’chaim, which means “to life.”
Libeskind dreamt up an angled, blue steel-clad structure attached to the power plant, whose interiors were redesigned in order to mesh with the addition. San Francisco Chronicle applauded the CJM for “how smoothly it fits in the landscape.”
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Christophe Hawthorne said the Contemporary Jewish Museum “manages to feel spatially ambitious and architecturally resolved at the same time” and “shows Libeskind working in a more restrained, even muted, mode than ever before.”
The CJM has been closed since December 2024. In a press statement dated March 18, the museum cited the “rapidly changing nonprofit and arts landscape” as the reason why it needs to tighten its belt by downsizing.
Selling the building is supposed to help “stabilize finances, safeguard endowment assets, and articulate a new vision that will resonate with future audiences,” CJM said.
Moving forward, the museum said it is looking for a buyer that is “complementary” to the Yerba Buena neighborhood, where it is situated.
“It has been both an honor and a profound responsibility to shape a building for this community—one that transforms a historic power station into a new architectural expression of light, form, and public life,” Libeskind said in a statement.
“As CJM enters its next chapter,” Libeskind added, “it is my hope that the building continues to inspire all who encounter it, serving as a lasting testament to Jewish life in San Francisco and the creativity and cultural exchange it was conceived to foster.”
“While our physical home may evolve, our dedication to serving as an essential hub for art, culture, and Jewish life remains unwavering,” said CJM executive director Kerry King.
Tom Kasten, a member of the Contemporary Jewish Museum board of trustees, added the eventual move “will allow us to engage audiences more deeply and meaningfully, while remaining responsive to the moment we’re in.”
In the meantime the museum’s collection and programming will be accessible online.
Through January 2027, the CJM flagship will continue to host events.
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