The leak was discovered by security personnel around 2:00 a.m. on July 19, when a bolt holding two pipes together failed in the ceiling of the fourth floor, where the museum's administrative offices are located. The resulting water damage affected sections of all three gallery floors as well as the office spaces above.
The third floor, which houses exhibitions featuring artwork from South Asia, the Himalayas, Persia, and China, has been completely closed to the public with no reopening date announced. "Some spaces are easy fixes; some require extra diligence to ensure the art remains safe," explained Freesia Lee, a spokesperson for the museum. "We are confident enough, though, to keep doors open to the public."
In response to the disruption, museum administrators have made all open galleries and exhibitions temporarily free of charge for visitors. This decision has proven popular, with Lee reporting a 40 percent increase in attendance since the policy was implemented.
The Asian Art Museum operates under a dual organizational structure similar to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which oversees the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor. The museum is split between a city-run entity and a private corporation, with the city owning both the building and the collection, as well as maintaining insurance coverage for the facility.
The timing of the water damage has compounded existing disruptions at the museum, which is currently in the middle of an art rotation process. In addition to the areas closed due to water damage, three galleries on the first floor are temporarily shuttered as staff prepare new exhibitions, and several display cases on the second floor remain empty during the transition.
The city has contracted Belfor Property Restoration to handle the extensive repair work needed to restore the museum's walls and damaged infrastructure. Representatives from the restoration company did not respond to requests for comment about the project timeline or specific repair procedures.
The incident comes at a challenging time for the museum's infrastructure improvements. In April, the institution lost the majority of a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that was intended to repair its fire suppression system, after President Donald Trump eliminated funding across the federal agency. However, Lee clarified that the pipe that burst was not part of the museum's fire suppression system, and those separate repairs will proceed using city funds.
The Asian Art Museum has faced significant construction-related challenges in recent years. Since 2021, the institution has been involved in complex legal disputes with WHY Architecture Workshop Inc. and Swinerton Builders over a $38 million museum expansion project. According to the museum, the addition designed by WHY Architecture and constructed by Swinerton was delivered behind schedule and failed to meet basic museum-quality standards, with the facility experiencing leaks and other quality control issues.
These lawsuits were ultimately settled out of court during the summer of 2024. However, Lee emphasized that this month's pipe burst occurred in a completely separate section of the building and is unrelated to the previous construction problems that plagued the expansion project.
The museum continues to welcome visitors to its open galleries while remediation work proceeds in the affected areas. Staff members are working to minimize disruption to the public while ensuring that all artwork and artifacts remain properly protected during the restoration process.
