The Beat Museum Closing Temporarily for Earthquake Retrofit

I love this song by George Harrison. It holds so many meanings, on so many levels. But in this case, it does not mean The Beat Museum is going away. We’re simply stepping out of the space we’ve occupied for 20 years so our building, built in 1910, can receive its long-awaited seismic retrofit. It’s old, it’s beloved, and now it needs the kind of care that will keep it standing far into the future. The time has finally come.

None of Life’s Strings Can Last…


That’s not to say we aren’t feeling a little bittersweet. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for any length of time, you know we’ve been talking about this moment for years. Change, even good change, carries its weight. The Swiss-American Hotel Building has been our home for two decades, the place where thousands of memories have taken shape.

Daylight is good at arriving at the right time…


And yet, right alongside the sadness that comes with needing to close temporarily is a deep sense of gratitude. This building has given us so many extraordinary moments. We’ve met tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. We’ve welcomed hundreds of school groups, hosted corporate gatherings, readings, signings, poetry nights, performances — the full range of what makes The Beat Museum a living, breathing celebration of life and creativity.

We’ve watched high school students walk through our doors with their parents, and then return 15 or 20 years later with children of their own. We’ve heard the words “You recommended a book that changed my life” more times than we can count — and it never gets old.

We’ve also been lucky to meet our fair share of the rich and famous. You’ve seen their names and images in our blog entries over the years. And to a person, they’ve been warm, curious, and down-to-earth — simply people eager to talk about the books they love and the writers who shaped them.

And then there are the friends — hundreds and hundreds of them — from every corner of the world. People who stayed in touch, who sent artifacts and treasures, from their own lives, some of them quite valuable, because they want others to experience the meaning those objects carried for them. That generosity has sustained us more than they may ever know.

We owe a debt of thanks to so many people who have been there for us over the years. Some of them (in no particular order) are: Brandon, Bob, Leon, Brian, Jan, Steve, Linda, Ronn, Coop, Judith, John, Cathy, George, Ken, Will, Carolyn, Ian, Malcom, Gary, Richard, Dave, Joanne, Dennis, Millie, Christina, Jesse, Elisabeth, Chris, Jack, Otto, Baby Doe, Alan, MaryLou, Patricia, Susan, Henry, David, Harold, Michael, Robert, Jim, Eric, Tony, Ann, Bobby, Rudy, Steve, Gene, Raymond, Joe, Ron, Scott, Doug, Byron, Judy, Tim, Howard, Mike, Dan, Jonah, Fanny, Mark, Shelby, Kim, Charles, Jody, Nancy, Brett, Pat…and countless others whose names would fill a book if we tried to list them all.

Over the last year and a half, we built out a new museum and effectively operated two museums full-time with a staff of just three people. It has been exhausting, exhilarating, and one of the great adventures of our lives.

We also want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone at the Chinatown Community Development Center. They have been our landlord for 20 years, and every step of the way our relationship has been strong, respectful, and grounded in mutual goodwill as true partners.

Beginning December 1, Brandon will be moving full-time to the Counterculture Museum. We’ve also hired additional part-time employees there, so we’ll be off to a strong start in Haight-Ashbury as we move into 2026.

Thanks for joining us on this wonderful journey.

We’re forever grateful.

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Press Release

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