Photo Credit: Archival images courtesy of Bank of America Corporate Archives
The Mission District’s world-renowned murals turn 50 this year—a milestone for one of San Francisco’s most beloved cultural landmarks.
What began in the early 1970s as Chicano artistic expression has grown into a global symbol of the neighborhood’s identity. Among the most well-preserved of these works is a 90-foot mural inside the Bank of America branch at Mission and 23rd Street.
Painted by Jesus Campusano and Luis J. Cortazar and dedicated to Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, it’s one of the early pieces that helped establish the Mission as a center for public art.
The mural’s story is also a story of community. In the 1970s, branch manager Bob Zerilla—son of Mexican immigrants—commissioned the work to honor the Mission’s heritage and people.
This year, as the mural celebrates its 50th anniversary, the branch itself marks 100 years in the neighborhood, having witnessed the Mission transform from a predominantly Italian-Irish community into San Francisco’s Latino cultural hub.
