De Young Museum Museum

Address: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States

Website: https://deyoung.famsf.org

The De Young Museum is a fine arts museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, housing American art along with collections from Africa, Oceania, and textiles. It is one of the two Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco institutions.

Exhibition spaces present American paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, textiles, and international holdings, plus temporary special exhibitions. The museum building includes an observation tower that offers panoramic views across Golden Gate Park and the city.

Originally founded as part of the city’s cultural institutions, the de Young underwent a major reconstruction and reopened in a new building designed by Herzog & de Meuron in 2005. The museum’s collections have grown through gifts and acquisitions over more than a century.

The museum is located in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, within the park’s cultural corridor near other major attractions and within the park’s landscaped grounds.

• Location Detail: Part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and located in Golden Gate Park, immediately north of the Japanese Tea Garden and California Academy of Sciences.
• Building and Reopening: The current building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, opened to the public in 2005 following a major reconstruction of the museum.

What to See#

• Hamon Observation Tower: The Hamon Observation Tower provides elevated public views across Golden Gate Park and the museum’s sculpture garden.
• Permanent Collections: Galleries cover American art from the 17th century to the present, along with collections of African, Oceanic, and textile art.

The de Young Museum sits in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Take Muni Metro (N‑Judah) to the 9th Avenue stop and walk about 10-15 minutes into the park, or use buses that run along Fulton Street/19th Avenue (for example the 5 Fulton) with a short walk to the museum entrance.

By car it is about 3-4 miles west of downtown San Francisco via JFK/MLK and Fulton Street; parking is available in and around Golden Gate Park but can be limited on busy days.

• Visit in late afternoon for better light on the city and the surrounding park from the museum's observation level and to avoid the midday rush; weekdays are generally quieter than weekends.
• Use the Music Concourse entrance and the Music Concourse Garage for the most direct access from parking and to begin with the sculpture garden and special exhibitions, which are often overlooked by visitors heading straight to the permanent collections.