The lights are going up on an ambitious vision to revive San Francisco’s downtrodden Mid-Market district by celebrating its theaters and arts venues.
Literally. A plan concocted by Supervisor Bilal Mahmood to resuscitate the corridor received a $500,000 investment (opens in new tab) from private donors, which will be used to install interactive lighting, launch artists in vacant commercial spaces, and produce pop-up performances at a time when surveys show more residents are visiting downtown (opens in new tab). The initiative is funded by the Downtown Development Corporation, crypto billionaire Chris Larsen, and the Proper Hotel Group.
“This is another step forward in a vision of the neighborhood that really calls back to its assets and its roots,” said Fernando Pujals, executive director of the Mid-Market Foundation, which is leading the initiatives through its Market Street Arts group (opens in new tab). The idea is that elevating the area’s reputation as an arts and culture hub will fuel its success more than now-departed tech companies ever did. “Creatives are drivers of the economy,” Pujals said.
Mid-Market has been one of the city’s most vexing areas for development. It is home to theaters and restaurants and has at times been a burgeoning neighborhood for corporate tenants. But the pandemic pummeled its progress, and signs of neglect persist along the corridor.
The investment is “seed funding” for “pilot” improvements, with the goal of raising much more over time, Pujals added. The initial efforts will focus on the 900 block of Market Street between Fifth and Sixth streets and will include adding banners and murals; bringing in performers, especially before and after theater shows; and converting vacant storefronts to performance or rehearsal spaces.
“We’re going to be trying things and looking at what works. The idea is that when we see what’s successful, we can scale it,” Pujals said. His organization will track impacts on foot traffic, theater ticket sales, local business revenue, and visitor sentiment. Ultimately, he expects that executing a full neighborhood revamp will require between $5 million and $7 million over several years.
On Saturday, the neighborhood will showcase its potential by hosting the inaugural Market Street Arts and Theater Festival (opens in new tab). The six-hour, free extravaganza will be packed with more than 50 performances and events, including aerial dancers, karaoke cable car rides, DJ sets, and opera singers in a bar.
“It’s a validation that people see the vision, believe in it, and are willing to throw down for it,” Pujals said. “We want people to come and embrace the neighborhood in a way they maybe haven’t before.”
Mid-Market has, after all, had a brutal few years. It was one of the hardest hit neighborhoods during the pandemic, becoming synonymous with dereliction and despair. The theater scene that once brought it alive in the evenings struggled to adapt as audiences shrunk and costs rose. Beloved spaces like PianoFight, Cutting Ball Theater, and Exit Theater shuttered, among the 15 San Francisco theaters that have gone dark since 2020.
But the area has slowly started to emerge from its slump. Offices are flipping and filling up — including with creative tenants — and businesses and arts organizations are moving back in.
When Andy Meyerson and partner Travis Andrews opened the experimental art venue the Roar Shack in the neighborhood in 2024, they expected to wind down after their 10-month lease ended. They recently signed an extension until 2030.
“This is our artistic, cultural, and spiritual home now in a way that we couldn’t have imagined,” Meyerson said.
While he’s wary about the project’s big-money donors wielding influence on artists’ work, he’s cautiously optimistic about building a lasting infrastructure to support culture in Mid-Market. Rehabbing empty spaces could give artists a place to experiment and create the kind of risky work that San Francisco should be known for, he said.
“It will take more than beautifying Market Street: Creating a real arts district takes investment, ownership, energy, and time,” he said. “We have to use this moment to build infrastructure and permanence.”