Ruby City

Ruby City is a contemporary art center in San Antonio, Texas, that opened to the public in 2019. Founded by the late collector, philanthropist, and artist Linda Pace, the institution houses her collection of contemporary art and offers free admission to all visitors. The center occupies a striking building designed by Adjaye Associates under the direction of Sir David Adjaye, and it functions as part of a broader cultural campus that serves the city's creative community. Its director is Elyse A. Gonzales.

The origins of Ruby City trace to 2007, when Linda Pace awoke from a vivid dream of a glowing red structure, which she sketched in coloredPin colored pencil. Pace, who had established the Linda Pace Foundation in 2003 as the owner and steward of her collection, entrusted this vision to Adjaye Associates. The foundation was guided by Pace's conviction that contemporary art is essential to a dynamic society. Construction spanned from 2007 to 2019, and the building officially opened on October 13, 2019. Since then, the institution has been recognized as one of TIME magazine's World's Greatest Places in 2019, and it has received multiple architectural honors including the Wallpaper* Design Award for Best New Public Building, the Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, and the Iconic Awards for Innovative Architecture, all in 2020. The Linda Pace Foundation continues to actively acquire new works each year, maintaining Pace's legacy while expanding the collection's reach through loans to museums and institutions around the world.

Ruby City presents works from the Linda Pace Foundation Collection, which comprises more than 1,400 paintings, sculptures, installations, and video works according to the foundation's current count, though some earlier sources cite a figure of more than 800 works at the time of the building's opening. The collection encompasses both local and internationally acclaimed artists, reflecting Pace's own collecting priorities. The foundation's ongoing acquisitions continue to echo the themes and character of Pace's original collection, with particular emphasis on works that reflect a feminist perspective, engage social issues, and consider aspects of spirituality and beauty. Beyond the main galleries, the collection is shared with other institutions through an active loan program, extending its presence beyond San Antonio.

The collection's specific holdings include works by Nancy Rubins and Marina Abramovic, whose pieces are installed in the sculpture garden. The institution also features a specially designed space known as the Jewel Box, a hidden room accessed through Jorge Pardo-designed doors, which is clad in locally sourced Long Leaf Pine and offers a framed view of the sculpture garden. While the full roster of artists is extensive, the collection's character is defined by its commitment to innovative expression and its basis in Pace's personal vision rather than by a small number of signature individual works.

The Ruby City building, designed by Adjaye Associates with Alamo Architects as architect of record, occupies 14,000 square feet (approximately 1,300 square meters) with 10,000 square feet of exhibition space at 150 Camp Street in San Antonio. The structure is clad in precast concrete panels fabricated in Mexico City, imbued with rich red hues and encrusted with fragments of red glass and mica that create a sparkling, jewel-like effect under the Texas sun. The design implements a deliberate material duality: the first ten feet of the exterior features polished concrete smooth enough to touch, while the upper portions are rough and angular. The building's form consists of a heavier top with sloping soffits that emphasize upward lift, crowned by two lantern-like structures that bring natural light into the galleries and animate the roofline. Strategically placed windows, or lenses, face Chris Park and San Pedro Creek, reconnecting interior spaces with the surrounding cityscape. The visitor experience is organized as an ambulatory loop that moves from the ground level through independent gallery rooms and back down to the lobby and plaza. The lobby features a polished red concrete floor and a reception desk of roughly cut Lueders limestone with blackened metal accents. The sculpture garden is defined by an red acid-washed precast concrete perimeter wall, an oval-shaped walking path of decomposed granite, a central mounded green lawn, and a crushed basalt field. The campus also includes Chris Park, a one-acre public green space named in memory of Pace's son, and Studio, an auxiliary exhibition space repurposed from the artist's former studio that presents curated shows and programming throughout the year. The landscape was designed by Madrone Landscape, with structural engineering by Guy Nordenson and Associates, mechanical engineering by WSP, lighting design by Tillotson Design Associates, and facade consultation by WJE-Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Ruby City is located at 150 Camp Street, San Antonio, Texas 78204. The institution is free and open to the public, with no admission or program fees. Visitors can access the main galleries, the sculpture garden, and the surrounding campus including Chris Park and Studio. The foundation offers year-round programming inspired by its collection and exhibitions, including dream workshops, meditation sessions, and hands-on art programs. The director of Ruby City is Elyse A. Gonzales, and the institution operates under the stewardship of the Linda Pace Foundation, with Kathryn Kanjo serving as President of the foundation's board.