2025 ENDANGERED LATINX LANDMARKS
San Francisco, California
Murales de la Calle 24
Cultural Murals
Year Built:
1972
The 24th Street Murals in San Francisco's Mission District are integral to the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, the city's first officially designated cultural district, recognized in 2014 for its rich Latino heritage. Created since the 1970s, these murals reflect the community's history, identity, and activism. Notable works by artists such as Juana Alicia, Roberto Hernandez, and Malaquias Montoya depict themes including labor, immigration, and women's roles. Today, environmental exposure, gentrification, and vandalism threaten these murals. Protecting and maintaining them is critical to preserving the living cultural landscape and the stories of generations of San Francisco's Latinx artists and residents.
Support & Resources for Endangered Latinx Landmarks
The Abuelas
Project
The Abuelas Project collects, curates, and amplifies stories of important Latinx movements, sites, and people across the country.
This GIS project encourages intergenerational storytelling through Storymaps that focus on Braceros, abandoned Mexican cemeteries, Route 66, and more.
Latinx Preservation Toolkit
The Toolkit is a bilingual booklet that empowers Latinx communities by demystifying historic preservation. The Texas Toolkit highlights four Latinx heritage success stories across the state, defines preservation terms, and provides guidance on how students, community members, and youth can preserve their communities.
Our next Toolkit will feature diverse stories across the borderlands.
Nuestra Herencia
Grant Program
We launched Nuestra Herencia Grant Program in 2024, providing $600,000 annually for Latinx heritage and historic preservation projects. This funding initiative focuses on empowering grassroots, Latinx-centered nonprofits.
It is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the Social Impact Fund, which has contributed $1.8 million over three years.