The downtown Seattle Art Museum at 1300 First Ave. is getting its biggest makeover in nearly two decades, starting with a new restaurant that opens Saturday, Oct. 17.
Bar Dojo, a Chino Latino restaurant led by Chef Luis Brambila and restaurateur Shubert Ho of Feedme Hospitality, is the first piece of a multi-phase transformation. SAM plans to finish the full remodel by April 1, 2027, as first reported by KIRO 7. The restaurant's hours will extend past the museum's regular closing time, giving downtown visitors a reason to stop by even when the galleries are dark.
A terrace connecting Bar Dojo's indoor and outdoor spaces is planned for 2027, according to SAM.
The restaurant is just one part of the overhaul. SAM is also reopening its Second Avenue and University Street entrance, which has been closed for 30 years. A second new entrance will open near Jonathan Borofsky's 48-foot-tall Hammering Man sculpture off First Avenue and University Street.
The museum is adding Chase Open Studio, a space for school groups and daily art-making activities. Color-coded markers and curved walls are going in to help visitors navigate the building during construction.
The SAM Shop will also move. The museum's gift store is relocating near the Brotman Forum to accommodate the new layout.
SAM CEO Scott Stulen framed the overhaul as a revenue strategy in a press release.
"Investments in dining, retail, and SAM Gallery create sustainable revenue that supports the art, exhibitions, programs, and experiences at the heart of SAM," Stulen said.
Stulen took over as SAM's director and CEO in August 2024 after leading the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At Philbrook, he secured a $10 million gift for the museum's first building addition in over three decades and established a $16.5 million contemporary art acquisition fund, according to SAM's announcement of his hiring.
The museum will stay open throughout the project. Construction is planned mostly for Mondays and Tuesdays, when SAM is closed. All scheduled exhibits will continue as planned.
SAM drew 248,141 visitors to its downtown location in fiscal year 2025, down from 267,561 the year before, according to the museum's published attendance figures. Across all three sites, total attendance hit 807,934 in FY25.
