Longtime mural caretaker and expert Will Maynez does not have any concerns about the safety of the Rivera mural because a company specializing in transporting large works, Atthowe Fine Art Services, will again be responsible for moving it. “They’re the best around,” he said.
But the mural’s next temporary resting place has raised concerns. The Rivera is set to be stored indefinitely on City College’s campus, awaiting the construction of a new performing arts center that has been mired by delays—the most recent being the school’s cancellation of a contract with McCarthy Building Companies to construct the building designed by LMN Architects. The reasons for the cancellation remain unclear, and a spokesperson for McCarthy said City College “chose to end the agreement for their convenience” in November 2020.
However, doubts have been raised about City College’s ability to store “Pan American Unity” safely in the interim, as the theater where the mural was located had been badly flooded during the pandemic. “The water had white caps,” said Madeline Mueller, a professor of music at the school.
Mueller, who sits on the school’s Works of Art Committee and has been working for decades to build a new performing arts center, believes the theater has been unfairly portrayed as dark and cramped, unbefitting an important work like Rivera’s. She said that the building’s lobby, where the mural is to be stored, has had no past flooding issues. In any case, the school did not have other options.
“We looked everywhere for storage,” Mueller said. “But it’s just too damned big.”
From Mueller’s perspective, the yet-to-be-constructed performing arts center that will serve as the mural’s permanent home is back on track, with a design, funds and contractor secured.
The project is awaiting approval from the Division of the State Architect, which could take up to a year. The estimated time of construction is at least 18 months, Mueller said, so assuming there are no supply chain issues, the earliest a new building could open is fall 2026.
Returning “Pan American Unity” to the public will be welcome news to Maynez, who believes the mural has been a woefully under-recognized gem of the city—at least until half a million visitors enjoyed the artwork at SFMOMA over the past few years.
