FSDA’s 2025-2026 Lecture Series

The Friends of San Diego Architecture presents inspiring lectures on architecture, design, and the built environment by speakers who stimulate thoughtful, community-centered discussions. After more than 40 years, the conversations continue.

Join Us in Celebrating FSDA’s 40th Anniversary and Our Region’s Legacy as a World Design Capital!
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Gill to Gill
Expanding the Oceanside Museum of Art

Rendering of Fire Station No, 1 as part of the Oceanside Museum of Art, looking west from Pier View Way & N. Nevada Street

Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie
Safdie Rabines Architects

Saturday, April 18, 10:00 AM
San Diego History Center
Casa de Balboa
1649 El Prado
Balboa Park

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Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie will present their firm’s design for the expansion of the Oceanside Museum of Art. This represents a significant milestone in the evolution of this local landmark, increasing the museum’s campus by 50 percent to occupy a full city block. The project preserves and adapts two historic Irving J. Gill landmarks, the 1934 former City Hall and the 1929 Fire Station No. 1, while introducing new gallery space, a dedicated education center, and expanded public programming.

Irving J. Gill’s “Sketch for a Fire Engine House and Police Station, Oceanside, Calif.” (Sept. 30, 1929)

Safdie Rabines Architects (“SRA”) is an architecture, interiors, and urban design firm founded in 1993 by husband-and-wife Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie. Based in San Diego, the studio has grown to include three additional partners and a team of more than 50 architects and designers.

SRA is recognized for its context-driven approach to a wide range of cultural, civic, and public projects, as well as housing, educational, and infrastructure projects. The multidisciplinary practice is driven by a mission to create meaningful places through integrated relationships between building and landscape, with designs evolving from an appreciation of the beauty of our region. SRA envisions interior and exterior spaces as one, blurring the lines between building and garden to provide uplifting places that enrich daily life and contribute positively to the built environment.

Among SRA’s recognizable San Diego designs are UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, a favorite venue for performances and public events; the oceanfront Scripps Seaside Forum conference center in La Jolla; and the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, an iconic gateway to downtown San Diego.

Today, SRA is at work on several projects that center on enriching communities. Among these are the expansion and renovation of the Oceanside Museum of Art — the topic of this presentation — as well as the expansion of The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park, the new East Village Green park and community center, and Midway Rising, a transformative 50-acre mixed-use master plan in Point Loma.

Taal Safdie established Safdie Rabines Architects in 1993 with her husband, Ricardo Rabines, and has pursued a diverse array of project types across varying scales and programs. Her principles are anchored in inventive, uplifting designs that emphasize integrating nature and the built environment. She fosters a collaborative culture across the SRA team while being actively involved on every project. Taal earned a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College before completing her Master of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, where she and Ricardo met. More than 30 years later, they continue to shape the creative direction of the firm’s work.

Ricardo Rabines, a Peruvian-born architect, co-founded Safdie Rabines Architects with his wife, Taal Safdie. His multi-disciplinary expertise has shaped a portfolio of civic, commercial, institutional, infrastructure, and large-scale master planning projects. Throughout his career, he has remained active in the architectural community, participating in lectures, juries, and conferences locally and internationally. Along with Taal, he is involved in every project while leading the firm’s team of architects, designers, interior designers, and support staff. Ricardo studied architecture at Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima and later earned his Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design.