Come September, you'll be able to swim in a sea of rainbow sprinkles beneath the dome of one of San Francisco's most iconic buildings.
That's right, the phenomenon that is the ever-sold-out Museum of Ice Cream is bringing its sweet game from L.A. to Union Square this fall, with plans for brand new "immersive installations, smells and flavors never seen before" inside the 107-year-old landmark.
The Sprinkle Pool at the L.A. Museum of Ice Cream. (Katie Gibbs)
Opening September 1st at 1 Grant Avenue, the museum promises a most delectable, rapturous experience. The plan is to reveal to the public structures of the former banking temple that have been hidden from view for decades. Built in 1910 by SF architects Walter Danforth Bliss and William Baker Faville, the Savings Union Bank (you may know it as the old Emporio Armani boutique) was chosen for its striking design: Granite-clad with a pedimented temple front featuring a bas relief of Liberty by Haig Patigian, the architecture was derived from the Roman Pantheon.
Picture walking through the grand double doors that once consisted of four bronze panels created by Arthur Mathews, which were said to represent the historical succession of races in California. Now glass, those doors lead into eight Tavernelle marble Corinthian columns soaring 30 feet high. A coffered ceiling overlays Caen stone walls, a limestone quarried in France; and between those walls, a cotton candy pink escapade of delightful bliss that will suddenly make fantasy a reality.
The museum's founder and creative director Maryellis Bunn "was drawn to the challenge of creating the next Museum of Ice Cream in a building with stunning architectural highlights," says a museum spokesperson. The playful juxtaposition of the austere building with the whimsical nature and modern design and the bright installations will undoubtedly shine in the third iteration of the pop-up museum.
We've been told that the SF Museum of Ice Cream will be entirely different from the experiences in L.A. and New York, with the laureate sprinkle pool transformed beneath the 45-foot-high dome ceiling. Look for a magical candy garden, psychedelic rainbow unicorns, a push pop installation, and other miraculous things. There will be titillating ice cream flavors, with a weekly rotating selection from the likes of Bi-Rite Creamery, It's It, and Salt & Straw. Not to mention the once-in-a-lifetime Instagram opportunities. Get your iPhones ready.
Tickets go on sale Friday, August 25th so be ready—they're guaranteed to go fast. Watch for updates at Instagram and Facebook, or sign up at museumoficecream.com.
**Update: Tickets to the museum are sold out!
Photo courtesy of Katie Gibbs
