Striking new San Francisco museum (1 of 4)

De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
17th-20th century American art and art of the native Americans, Asia and the Pacific

San Francisco’s newest museum is a must-see, whether it’s your first visit to the city or your twentieth. The building itself is intriguing enough to merit a trip, and an incredible ninth-floor observation deck offers an unequaled view.

Part 1 of 4
Exterior

The new de Young Museum is sheathed in panels of scored and punched-out copper, almost like scaffolding, with irregular horizontal slits exposing slim vertical metal columns and dark glass.

The copper façade is meant “to replicate the impression made by light filtering through the tree canopy,” according to the museum’s Web site. It will blend into its surroundings even more as the material oxidizes, producing copper’s familiar greenish patina.

Update, 1/28/07: To see more exterior photos and a review of the de Young building, here's an article by Canadian architect and writer Witold Rybczynski at Slate.com.