Asian Art Museum

1. 1915

   Five eight-foot cement figures — Art, Literature, Philosophy, Science and Law — were commissioned for the arches of the Main Library from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition sculptor Leo Lentelli, by the Library Commission and the architect George Kelham.

   San Francisco Department of City Planning, Asian Art Museum: Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report, 1998.
2. 1916

   The building now housing the Asian Art Museum, designed by architect George Kelham.

   Architecture, Planning & Preservation Professionals: A Collection of Biographies, adopted 2021
3. 1944

   Built.

4. 1945

   A three-storey rectangular wood building was put up for the United States Navy on the northeast corner of the block as a temporary structure; it served the library and city departments from 1948 until its demolition in 1997.

   National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
5. July 25, 1974

   The Main Library building in the Civic Center was made up of eight stacks, a grand staircase, rotundas and ceremonial hallways, and its stacks were filled to capacity.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
6. 1976

   The Department of City Planning's 1976 citywide architectural inventory gave the Main Library building '5', its highest rating.

   San Francisco Department of City Planning, San Francisco Main Library: Initial Study, 1991.
7. 1985

   The Commission Room of the San Francisco Public Library's Civic Center building, where a public meeting in March 1985 founded the San Francisco Bay Area Gay and Lesbian Historical Society; the building is now the Asian Art Museum.

   Donna J. Graves and Shayne E. Watson, Citywide Historic Context Statement for LGBTQ History in San Francisco, San Francisco Planning Department, adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission November 18, 2015
8. 1991

   The three-storey, 45,000-square-foot city office building at this parcel's 45 Hyde Street address was in use as an annex of the Main Library, and also housed the Bureau of Architecture's 59 employees.

   San Francisco Department of City Planning, San Francisco Main Library: Initial Study, 1991.
9. Dec 1996

   Permit 9623445 $$$ $54,000

   Erect sign.

10. November 1997

    The three-storey city office and library annex building here was demolished, under a certificate of appropriateness, leaving the eastern part of the block vacant.

    San Francisco Department of City Planning, Asian Art Museum: Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report, 1998.
11. Mar 1998

    Issued Permit 9804244S $$$ $55,000,000

    Rehabilitation of old main library to new asian art museum.

12. Jul 2001

    Issued Permit 200107123548 $$$ $60,000

    Install one 3000 gallon underground disel storage tard and piping, shoring for excavation is in plac.

13. Sep 2004

    Permit 200409144091 $$$ $100,000

    Build garden wall, landscape planting, install sculpture, stone paving.

14. Sep 2012

    Permit 201209210396 $$$ $50,000

    Existing partition walls to be demolished. new partition walls and new partial height walls to be constructed, existing light fixutres to be relocated. existing carpet to be removed, new carpet to be installed.

15. Apr 2015

    Permit 201504103298 $$$ $55,000

    4th, grnd, & lower level: interior alterations - divide 4th floor office into office & wellness room. convert existing lower level storage into new office and expand ground floor office.

16. Sep 2016

    Permit 201609066871 $$$ $50,000

    Installation of dust collector in existing woodshop.

17. Oct 2017

    Permit 201710231952 $$$ $6,300,000

    Renovation and addition to existing building adding approx. 12, 000 sq feet of gallery space. fire protection under separate permit.

18. Nov 2017

    Issued Permit 201711083526 $$$ $90,000

    Placing projector and motion sensor on top of asian art museum.

19. Jan 2018

    Permit 201801098165 $$$ $20,000

    Tenant improvement to 1st, 2nd & ground floor galleries. light demolition. new partitions, finishes & millwork. new electrical.

20. Jan 2018

    Permit 201801239317 $$$ $35,000

    Demolition to remove existing slabs, fixtures and walls. partial excavation limited to loading dock as needed for freight elevator driveway expansion & new trench for elevator hydraulic line.

21. Feb 2018

    Permit 201802060493 $$$ $150,000

    Code signage associated with permit application 201710231952 and replacement of existing code signage required throughout the building. **maher n/a**.

22. Nov 2018

    Permit 201811307090 $$$ $79,260

    Fire alarm additions at the basement, floor 1 and floor 2 for the asian art museum "transformation project", ref permit app #2017-1023-1952.

23. Dec 2018

    Permit 201812128146 $$$ $75,000

    Ti installation of fire sprinkler system throughout the new east side addition and room 116.5, 132, 133, 134, 0533.3, 054, 056, 076, 078 and loading dock. relocate 12, omit 12, add 195. total 207. to the existing fire sprinkler in this project. ref #201710231952.

24. Apr 2019

    Permit 201904198507 $$$ $30,000

    Ti - outdoor cafe on terrace 2nd floor, work to include furnishing/finishes, new pantry area, new mep. bld fully sprinklered.

25. Dec 2019

    Permit 201912240471 $$$ $100,000

    T.i. installation of fire sprinkler system. change of single interlock to double interlock. preaction system per ab-005 dated 8/13/19. ref app#201710231952.

26. Jan 2020

    Permit 202001242713 $$$ $1,000,000

    Construction of a temporary art installation with in an existing gallery space. work include temporary partitions, floor & ceiling finishes and modifications to existing air conditioning and lighting systems.

27. May 2020

    Issued Permit 202005067335 $$$ $96,800

    Replacement of fire alarm devices @ existing locations, basement, 1-4 floors for phase 1 portion of system upgrade. devices being replaced are 179 smoke detectors, 13 duct detectors, 3 heat detectors, and 115 modules. (no associated building permit number for this work.).

28. Nov 2020

    Issued Permit 202011189210 $$$ $115,000

    Fire only for the phase 2 fire alarm device replacement project; the devices being replaced are 171 smoke detectors, 33 duct detectors, and 150 modules. no ref. permit application number for this work.

29. Mar 2022

    Permit 202203210393 $$$ $180,000

    Removal of temp exhibition improvements including partition walls, floor finishses, light fixtures and air conditioning.

30. May 2022

    Permit 202205194618 $$$ $10,000

    Removal of existing concrete paver and pedestal system installed as part of gallery expansion, in preparation for a new pedestal paver system per ab-017.

31. Aug 2022

    Issued Permit 202208241184 $$$ $35,000

    Existing air compressor to be removed and replace with new nitrogen generator. nitgrogen generator to be conneted to existing air supply to preaction sprinkler risers on lower, ground, 2nd & 3rd floors).

32. Oct 2022

    Permit 202210074008 $$$ $900,000

    Work includes and replace of existing pedestal paver system including ramps and stairs. repair existing waterproofind system as required. install new concrete stairs, ramps and curbs to replace matching existing rise and run. tread depths and heights. install new handrails sim to existing attachmts. demolition ref 202205194618.

DBI holds 69 permits for this parcel, most of them tenant improvements on individual floors. The timeline shows the 24 largest by stated cost, plus the earliest on file; the DBI query in the sources below returns all 69. 6 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 2 expired or cancelled permits are not shown. This address is recorded as built 1916; the assessor's roll gives 1944. The architects' biographies context statement dates George Kelham's Main Library to 1916; the Planning Department's 1992 environmental impact report for the building gives its completion as 1917.