Overview

• The institute closed on the 88.5-acre former Birkenstock campus in Novato on July 31, marking its first expansion beyond a Richmond warehouse home.
• Swiss architect Herzog & de Meuron and San Francisco firm EHDD have been retained to convert John Savage Bolles’s 1960s modernist complex into a public museum and makerspace hub.
• Plans call for the museum to showcase the Eames Institute’s 40,000-artifact collection alongside immersive exhibitions, workshops, culinary offerings and landscaped plazas.
• Novato’s general plan designates the site as a cultural destination, with local leaders anticipating significant community revitalization and a boost in regional tourism.
• With redevelopment costs estimated between $100 million and $200 million, the institute is accelerating fundraising efforts and navigating planning approvals toward a 2028 opening.