San Francisco is at an inflection point. After years of pandemic disruption, storefront vacancies, and shifting urban patterns, the city’s downtown is calling for a new vision—one rooted not in tech or tourism alone, but in creativity, culture, and civic connection. Through our downtown San Francisco community partnerships, KALW helps answer that call. Learn about our projects below.

The Warfield Commons and Community Arts Stabilization Trust

A collaboration between Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) and KALW Public Media, Warfield Commons is a bold and timely investment in the soul of San Francisco at 988 Market Street, in the storied Warfield Building. Learn more at www.warfieldcommons.com.

Purchased in February 2025 by CAST and KALW, the century-old building that anchors Warfield Commons sits in a cultural corridor of Mid-Market that has undergone waves of transformation following the dot-com boom and the payroll tax break in 2011 that attracted tech companies into the area.

After years of pandemic disruption, storefront vacancies, and shifting urban patterns, the city’s downtown is calling for a new vision—one rooted not in tech or tourism alone, but in creativity, culture, and civic connection.

As the new home base for one of the oldest public radio stations in the country, KALW is creating a 21st-century storytelling lab—the People’s Studio—with podcast studios, training spaces, classrooms, and newsroom facilities dedicated to amplifying voices from our communities.

CAST’s leadership ensures that the space will remain an affordable sanctuary for creative and cultural workers in the City, free from the pressures of an escalating real estate market where displacement is a constant threat. Warfield Commons is not a pop-up—it’s a permanent anchor.

Warfield Commons is powered by CAST’s community-centered real estate approach and KALW’s rich legacy in public media. Through our partnership, we are cultivating and fostering what cities and communities urgently need: original voices, permanent infrastructure, and shared purpose.

KALW x 111 Minna: Downtown First Thursday

KALW partners with 111 Minna gallery on the first Thursday of every month as a part of the city’s Downtown First Thursdays.

KALW’s community dance party and live broadcast, produced in collaboration with 111 Minna Gallery, programs prominent Bay Area DJs and welcomes artists who activate the space for performance, art, and interactivity.

For over 30 years, 111 Minna Gallery has been a beacon of art and culture in the Bay Area, earning accolades such as Best Art Gallery (2019 & 2018 / SF Weekly) and the Small Business of the Year Award (2018 / SF Chamber of Commerce, 2018 Ebbies).

As a longtime home for the Bay Area creative community, 111 Minna has hosted hundreds of exhibits and thousands of parties, making it a key cultivator of Bay Area creative culture. Through our partnership, KALW and 111 Minna are committed to creating a welcoming and creative space dedicated to community art and culture in Downtown San Francisco.