Historic Preservation Commission forwards landmark recommendations for two Mission District murals
September 20, 2023 | San Francisco City, San Francisco County, California
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The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission on Sept. 20 voted unanimously to forward landmark recommendations for two Mission District murals: the Carnaval mural (also known as Golden Dreams of La Mission) and the Chata Gutierrez mural (La Rumba No Para).
Anna Herrera, legislative aide to Supervisor Hillary Ronan, said the murals were board-initiated nominations because of their adjacency and shared cultural significance to the Mission's Pan-Latino community. Planning department staff described the Carnaval mural (painted 1983 by Daniel Galvez; approximately 75 by 24 feet) and the Chata Gutierrez mural (painted 2015 by Carlos "Cookie" Gonzalez) as community art with strong associations to Carnival and Latinx cultural life in the Mission.
Speakers from the San Francisco Latino Historical Society, long-time community organizers and the Carnival nonprofit emphasized the murals' roles in preserving neighborhood memory and resisting erasure amid gentrification. Rodrigo Duran, executive director of Carnaval, said the Carnival festival draws hundreds of thousands and that the murals "anchor generations and families" in the neighborhood. Photographer Lou de Matias and other longtime participants recounted the murals' origins and community-led restorations.
Speakers also raised risks to the murals, including property sales and redevelopment that could hide or damage them. Brooke Oliver, an attorney for the muralists, told the commission that landmark designation combined with legal protections (including moral rights and copyright law) would help prevent the murals from being covered or obscured by future development.
Staff said Article 10 maintenance provisions and coordination with property owners would be part of long-term stewardship if the Board of Supervisors approves designation. After discussion and public testimony emphasizing community significance and conservation history, the commission voted 5–0 to forward both recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
Next steps: Staff will transmit the ordinance drafts and supporting materials to the Board of Supervisors for their consideration.
Anna Herrera, legislative aide to Supervisor Hillary Ronan, said the murals were board-initiated nominations because of their adjacency and shared cultural significance to the Mission's Pan-Latino community. Planning department staff described the Carnaval mural (painted 1983 by Daniel Galvez; approximately 75 by 24 feet) and the Chata Gutierrez mural (painted 2015 by Carlos "Cookie" Gonzalez) as community art with strong associations to Carnival and Latinx cultural life in the Mission.
Speakers from the San Francisco Latino Historical Society, long-time community organizers and the Carnival nonprofit emphasized the murals' roles in preserving neighborhood memory and resisting erasure amid gentrification. Rodrigo Duran, executive director of Carnaval, said the Carnival festival draws hundreds of thousands and that the murals "anchor generations and families" in the neighborhood. Photographer Lou de Matias and other longtime participants recounted the murals' origins and community-led restorations.
Speakers also raised risks to the murals, including property sales and redevelopment that could hide or damage them. Brooke Oliver, an attorney for the muralists, told the commission that landmark designation combined with legal protections (including moral rights and copyright law) would help prevent the murals from being covered or obscured by future development.
Staff said Article 10 maintenance provisions and coordination with property owners would be part of long-term stewardship if the Board of Supervisors approves designation. After discussion and public testimony emphasizing community significance and conservation history, the commission voted 5–0 to forward both recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
Next steps: Staff will transmit the ordinance drafts and supporting materials to the Board of Supervisors for their consideration.
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