1. 77 Geary Galleries Evicted for Tech Company
In the past week, I've heard of two friends, one casual acquaintance, and now several
art galleries getting evicted because someone with more money wanted their spot. It's
unfortunately an all too common narrative these days, but I was still particularly sad to
hear from KQED[1] that several art galleries at 77 Geary are losing their homes because a
bigger company wants to move in. KQED's Dan Brekke reported that many of the
second floor galleries in the downtown art hub received eviction notices last month to
allow software and consulting firm Mulesoft[2] to expand its office space. Brekke wrote
that Trish Bransten, of the Rena Bransten Gallery, "says Mulesoft is offering more than
double the rent for her space, which the gallery has occupied for 27 years." Many of the
other galleries being asked to leave have also called the building home for decades.
It's crazy to me that a floor of a building that has long been a destination for art and art
appreciation in this city is being shoved aside. Anyone who's ever been part of San
Francisco's First Thursday mobs knows that 49 and 77 Geary are two prime locations
for surveying the downtown gallery scene. I used to hit that thing monthly, in large
part because it was a great way to appreciate everything from photography, painting,
and sculpture to video and installation work all in one block. Those Geary addresses are

2. like mini museums, only without the price of admission, and I really hope we don't lose
more of them to something as bland as expanded office space.
The 77 Geary galleries that have been evicted are moving to temporary spaces, owner's
homes, and other places unknown.
Image from Rena Bransten Gallery[3]
1. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/02/24/art-galleries-displaced-amid-san-francisco-tech-boom
2. http://www.mulesoft.com/
3. https://www.facebook.com/RenaBranstenGallery