Renderings courtesy RRM Design Group & SLOMA
The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art has announced plans for an expansion that will likely reshape the cultural and economic heart of downtown.
The project will repurpose three adjoining storefronts that are now part of the Network Mall and Johnson Building into a 24,000-square-foot art campus linking Higuera Street and Mission Plaza.
The museum will continue to utilize its current home overlooking Mission Plaza at 1010 Broad Street for arts classes and other education programming. The expansion will physically connect it with new spaces at 778, 782, and 786 Higuera Street, transforming underused retail properties into galleries and gathering areas that will help anchor downtown’s cultural corridor.
SLOMA executive director Leann Standish says that together, the spaces will create a downtown gateway for creativity, culture, and community connection. “This bold plan will achieve several goals,” according to Standish. “It will invigorate downtown San Luis Obispo by providing another everyday reason for people to come downtown for connection and inspiration. It will elevate our city’s cultural profile by allowing us to host major traveling exhibitions while continuing to champion Central Coast artists.
“And by repurposing existing buildings,” Standish continues, “We can deliver this project faster and more economically than building a new building.” The expeditious timeline enables a grand opening to be planned for early 2027.
“This project is about more than expanding gallery walls,” according to Ermina Karim, co-chair of the SLOMA board of directors. “It’s about expanding opportunity. When a city invests in creativity, it invests in connection, education, and shared pride. A thriving cultural anchor like SLOMA draws people downtown, supports restaurants, retailers, and hotels, and keeps our city vibrant year-round.”
The expanded Museum is conservatively projected to double attendance to nearly 110,000 visitors annually and generate $4-$6 million in new downtown spending each year.”
The $20 million project, to be completed in two phases, will nearly triple SLOMA’s exhibition capacity and add a multipurpose community gathering space, outdoor art terrace overlooking Mission Plaza, and a retail store.
Once open, the expanded Museum is conservatively projected to double attendance to nearly 110,000 visitors annually and generate $4-$6 million in new downtown spending each year.
To date, SLOMA has secured more than $8 million in gifts and pledges, including nearly $600,000 toward a $2 million matching challenge grant from the Forbes family, which will match every dollar raised through December 2025. Once the match is met, total funds will exceed $11 million—more than half of the campaign goal.
SLOMA’s historic home will become a dedicated Education Center, doubling capacity for school and family programs, reviving summer art camps, and expanding partnerships with schools across the county.