{"id":54544,"date":"2025-08-02T08:28:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T08:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/54544\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T08:28:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T08:28:13","slug":"eames-institute-proposes-museum-conversion-of-former-birkenstock-campus-marin-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/54544\/","title":{"rendered":"Eames Institute Proposes Museum Conversion of Former Birkenstock Campus, Marin County"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity has announced plans to transform the former Birkenstock campus in Novato<\/a> into a museum for art and design. The Marin County<\/a> campus spans 88.5 acres of public open space and an extremely distinctive saw-tooth roofline factory warehouse in view of Highway 101. International architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron<\/a> is responsible for the design.<\/p>\n

The iconic modernist warehouse at 8171 Redwood Boulevard was designed by John Savage Bolles in the 1960s, originally for the McGraw-Hill publishing company. Bolles is well-known across the Bay Area for designing Candlestick Park and the IBM Campus in San Jose<\/a>. Birkenstock company occupied the 166,000-square-foot campus from 1994 through 2019.<\/p>\n

\"Birkenstock<\/p>\n

Birkenstock Campus historic photograph, image courtesy the Eames Institute<\/p>\n

\"Eames<\/p>\n

Eames Institute courtyard, rendering by Herzog & de Meuron<\/p>\n

Herzog & de Meuron, the same firm behind the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, is responsible for the design, collaborating with the San Francisco<\/a>-based executive architect, EHDD<\/a>. Illustrations show the transformation will add new windows, pale wood accents, and improved landscaping.<\/p>\n

Herzog & de Meuron Partner Simon Demeuse said of the project, \u201cdrawing on our expertise of adapting historic structures, most notably the Tate Modern in London, we are thrilled to now help transform this modernist campus into a vibrant public arts destination serving the Bay Area and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Birkenstock<\/p>\n

Birkenstock Campus historic interior view, image courtesy the Eames Institute<\/p>\n

\"Birkenstock<\/p>\n

Birkenstock Campus existing condition, image courtesy the Eames Institute<\/p>\n

The Eames Institute is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2019, dedicated to advancing the legacy of Ray and Charles Eames and bringing new design programming and art immersion to the public. The nonprofit was announced in 2022 after taking ownership of the William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco and the Zurich-based Lars M\u00fcller Publishers. Earlier this year, the institute launched an exhibition inside the public Transamerica Pyramid Annex Gallery, two blocks away from the bookstore.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo share my grandparents\u2019 vision with the world is the honor of a lifetime,\u201d said Llisa Demetrios, Chief Curator of the Eames Institute. \u201cRay and Charles\u2019 boundless curiosity for solving problems through design has been at the core of the Eames Institute\u2019s mission, and this expansion will allow us to share those gifts with our community on an even larger scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Birkenstock<\/p>\n

Birkenstock Campus aerial view, image courtesy the Eames Institute<\/p>\n

According to the project\u2019s representative, the future museum is \u201cexpected to create an estimated 85-100 jobs and attract approximately 200,000 visitors annually for an estimated $14 million a year in visitor spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

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8171 Redwood Boulevard<\/a> Birkenstock campus<\/a> Eames Institute<\/a> EHDD Architects<\/a> Herzog & de Meuron<\/a>