CMAC Acquires Empress of China Building!

San Francisco’s Historic Empress of China Building to Gain New Life as the anchor of Cultural Campus for Chinatown 

On April 1, 2026, The Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative (CMAC) announced the purchase of the historic Empress of China building, one of the most iconic landmarks in San Francisco and Chinatown. This major acquisition followed the organization’s purchase of its first site, 800 Grant Ave, which houses Edge on the Square.

The landmark building will be the cornerstone of a community-led cultural campus in the heart of Chinatown, adding to the vibrancy and economic recovery of San Francisco. Chinatowns across America tell the story of immigrants building community, opportunity, and democracy in this country. The Empress of China building gives us a powerful place to continue telling those stories, uplift our narrative, build cultural power to shape how people understand history, and dream about our collective future.

“At a time when immigrants are being targeted and separated from our families and communities, it’s more important than ever to build cultural infrastructure as our direct response to erasure, speculative real estate and neighborhood identity,” said Mabel Teng, CMAC’s co-executive director. “The purchase of the Empress of China Building powers an expanded vision of community ownership, bringing hope and fortitude to immigrant communities longing for a place to call home.”​

“Since the 1850s, San Francisco’s Chinatown - the oldest and most vibrant in the nation - has served as an epicenter for community leadership building and belonging,” said Vincent Pan, Founding board member and Vice Chair of CMAC. “The community-owned purchase of the iconic Empress of China Building is an opportunity to thread our community’s past, present, and future to ensure Chinatown remains a place where all our stories are told and aspirations realized.

The Empress of China will serve as a cornerstone for a broader Chinatown cultural campus of unique spaces, including a growing network of arts and media spaces along Grant Avenue that already includes Edge on the Square (800 Grant Ave), 41 Ross, the Chinese Culture Center Design shop and galleries (667 Grant), and the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum.

Each of these spaces will be unique in telling our stories and each will shine in a constellation of the Grant Ave campus. Chinatown’s night markets, street festivals, and now a future cultural campus will increase the revitalization of San Francisco’s downtown.

We look forward to community conversations as we plan for the future!

let’s imagine together…

Chinatown Media & Arts Collaborative (CMAC) is a platform that celebrates, explores, and supports leading and pioneering creative expressions at the intersection of community, art, and media.

Founded by six highly accomplished nonprofit San Francisco-based API organizations, the unprecedented partnership brings together their combined experience and expertise, resulting in the harmony of collective resources that give back to the community in exciting new ways. As such, CMAC serves as a model for the nonprofit community and the ways in which we approach institutional collaboration.

As a focal point, CMAC will operate Edge on the Square, a site-specific visitor’s destination, with programs that leverage the power of art and culture for social change and economic recovery. Embedded in its mission is the aim to spark discourse and foster greater public understanding of Chinatown’s significance as an immigrant gateway, and historical landmark of cultural resilience.

Mike Arcega and Paolo Asuncion
TNT Traysikel

Equity Statement

As a BIPOC organization with deep roots in its neighborhood community, CMAC understands that work involving anti-racism, belonging, and equity is never complete. Our organization recognizes that marginalization and oppression in areas such as race, ability, gender, and sexual orientation prevent the full participation, achievement, and security of our diverse and disparate communities. To this end, CMAC has dedicated itself to enhancing and highlighting the voices of the underrepresented through creative and substantive programs aimed to promote positive narratives of Asian Pacific Islander people. A collaborative created of, by, and for its intended served communities, CMAC possesses a staff and board reflective of its core principles:

• Asian Pacific Islander experiences and perspectives are a critical part of the American story;

• Chinatown is a unique place that matters to our city and nation;

• Art is fundamental to a healthy community;

• Belonging and collaboration are essential to community vitality;

• Honest dialogue and civic discourse nurture a culture of creativity; and

• We may only achieve excellence with ongoing experimentation.

CMAC is continually committed to equitably fostering an environment supportive of the full breadth and depth of its community’s artistic, cultural, and political experiences and pride.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

  • California Assemblymember Phil Ting

  • Governor Gavin Newsom

  • California Legislature

  • California State Library

  • San Francisco Mayor’s Office

  • San Francisco Board of Supervisors

  • Office of Economic and Workforce Development

  • San Francisco Arts Commission

SPECIAL THANKS

Alfred Chin, Sarah Wan, Eva Lee, Lily Lo, Calvin Yan, Jenny Robinson, Cathie Lam, Tan Chow, Shaw San Liu, Lai Wa Wu, Doug Mei, Laura Li, Bill Lee, Kathy Lee, Ning Ho, Carlos Serrano-Quan, CYC youth volunteers