A Home for Curious Problem-SolversAHomeforCuriousProblem-Solvers
The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is ecstatic and humbled to share our plans for a world-class museum that will bring innovative design programming and immersive art experiences to the public.
The museum will be housed in the former Birkenstock campus in Novato, California, 28 miles north of San Francisco. This new cultural destination will feature a wide range of offerings, including art and design exhibitions, makerspaces and workshops, educational programming, accessible public open space, culinary and retail experiences, and a rotating display of the Eames Collection archives and other major collections.
The campus was originally designed in the 1960s for the publishing company McGraw-Hill by John Savage Bolles, a celebrated modernist architect with deep roots in the Bay Area. The Birkenstock footwear company became the primary tenant at the site from 1994 to 2019, and the Novato landmark has been vacant since 2020. Although the campus has been inaccessible to the public for most of its existence, the warehouse structure—with its distinctive saw-tooth roofline—is a beloved local icon. It is a striking and enduring example of mid-century modern design.
The Institute has partnered with the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron and San Francisco–based EHDD to reimagine the design of the campus into a dynamic public space that honors its architectural legacy while opening it to new generations of guests.
This is just the beginning. We invite you to follow along as we shape the next chapter of this remarkable site—and help turn it into a place for learning, inspiration, and joyful exploration.
To share my grandparents’ vision with the world is the honor of a lifetime. Ray and Charles’s boundless curiosity for solving problems through design has been at the core of the Eames Institute’s mission, and this expansion will allow us to share those gifts with our community on an even larger scale.
