De Young Fine Arts Museum travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Damaged by th Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 de Young Museum in San Fancisco was closed to the public and reopened in 2005. Today the new de Young is made of copper, stone, wood and glass. The copper façade creates an artistic abstraction on the exterior of the building.

The art museum includes a basement gallery for special exhibit and two floors of permanent exhibits. The northeast corner of the building features a 144-foot tower that gently spirals from the ground floor and aligns at the top.A public observation floor offers panoramic views of the entire Bay Area.

The outdoor environment of the new de Young features a public sculpture garden and terrace beneath a cantilevered roof; a children’s garden; and landscaping that creates an organic link between the building and the surrounding environment on all four sides. The landscape design integrates historic elements from the old de Young—including the sphinx sculptures, the Pool of Enchantment, and the original palm trees—as well as sandstone, redwood, ferns and other plants and materials relevant to the site, creating a museum that is permeable, open, and inviting to the public.