Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
- From 12:00 PM
These are the previously published dates. Check the organizer for a new edition.
Check the organizer’s latest schedule ↗Asian Art Museum Architecture Tour on Nov. 7: Gae Aulenti’s Transformation
The Asian Art Museum’s story has a chapter in its walls: its home began as the Old Main Library, built in 1917, and became a museum through Italian architect Gae Aulenti’s redesign. The renovated museum opened in 2003.
A change of purpose, built into the museum
The Nov. 7 Architecture Tour follows the building’s shift from library to museum. The museum describes the result of Aulenti’s work as bringing historic and contemporary elements together, so the tour offers a way to consider the institution through its architecture as well as its collections.
The announced focus is that transformation, not a named set of rooms or architectural features. Visitors can expect a guided exploration of the building’s history; the listing does not specify a route through the museum.
Further reading: Architecture Tour (1st Saturdays 12pm) - Calendar - Asian Art Museum ↗
One tour, centered on the building
The Nov. 7 listing names a single activity: a guided exploration of Gae Aulenti’s transformation of the Old Main Library into the Asian Art Museum.
Saturday, November 7, 2026 · Asian Art Museum
- Architecture Tour: explore Gae Aulenti’s transformation of the Old Main Library into the Asian Art Museum.
The practical details
Meet at the ground-floor Information Desk
The tour begins at 12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. No advance reservation is needed for the tour; go to the ground-floor Information Desk at the scheduled time. Museum admission is required.
The listing gives no tour duration or finish time, so leave flexibility in plans immediately afterward.
Architecture Tour (1st Saturdays 12pm) - Calendar - Asian Art Museum ↗
Museum admission is separate from the tour
General admission is $20 for adults, $17 for visitors 65 and older, and $14 for ages 13–17 and college students with ID. Members and children 12 and under enter free. A special-exhibition ticket costs an additional $10.
The museum encourages visitors to reserve timed admission tickets online. That recommendation is separate from the tour’s walk-up policy. One person accompanying a visitor with special needs is admitted free.
Architecture Tour (1st Saturdays 12pm) - Calendar - Asian Art Museum ↗ · Plan Your Visit - Asian Art Museum ↗ · Tickets - Asian Art Museum ↗ · Accessibility - Asian Art Museum ↗
The museum is open during the tour
Saturday falls within the museum’s Friday-through-Monday hours, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Entry, mobility and accommodations
All museum entrances accommodate visitors using wheeled devices and visitors who prefer to avoid stairs; elevators serve every floor. Wheelchairs are available at the Information Desk on a first-come, first-served basis. The museum also provides take-a-seat stools at the desk, and trained guide and service animals are welcome.
Wheelchair-accessible restrooms with changing tables are on every floor. Two universal restrooms, described by the museum as gender-neutral and barrier-free, are behind the ground-floor café.
ASL interpretation is available by request at least two weeks in advance. For this Nov. 7 visit, that lead time has passed; call 415.581.3531 to ask whether an accommodation can still be arranged, and provide the requested date and time.
Getting to the Asian Art Museum
BART and the museum entrance
The event meets at the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. The museum is one block from Civic Center/UN Plaza BART Station. Use the UN Plaza exit, proceed past the Simón Bolívar statue, cross Hyde Street onto Fulton Street, then turn right on Larkin Street after one block; the museum is on the right.
Architecture Tour (1st Saturdays 12pm) - Calendar - Asian Art Museum ↗ · Plan Your Visit - Asian Art Museum ↗
Parking and drop-off
Civic Center Garage is at 355 McAllister Street and UC Law Parking Garage is at 376 Larkin Street; both are within one block. Museum members can validate a parking ticket at the Information Desk for reduced rates at the UC Law garage. The museum directs members to its Membership department for rate details.
A white-zone visitor drop-off and pick-up area and an accessible parking spot are on Larkin Street in front of the museum entrance.
Plan Your Visit - Asian Art Museum ↗ · Accessibility - Asian Art Museum ↗
Before you make a plan
Do I need to reserve a place on the tour?
No advance reservation is needed for the tour. Meet at the ground-floor Information Desk at noon; museum admission is required.
Architecture Tour (1st Saturdays 12pm) - Calendar - Asian Art Museum ↗
How much is museum admission?
General admission is $20 for adults, $17 for ages 65 and up, and $14 for ages 13–17 and college students with ID. Members and children 12 and under are free; a special-exhibition ticket is an additional $10.
Plan Your Visit - Asian Art Museum ↗ · Tickets - Asian Art Museum ↗
Can I get to the museum by BART?
Yes. The museum is one block from Civic Center/UN Plaza station. Follow signs to the UN Plaza exit, then continue past the Simón Bolívar statue, across Hyde Street onto Fulton Street, and right onto Larkin Street after one block.
Location & Google Maps
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.