SF Bay Bridge lights installation to come down, unless $11 million is donated

"Bay Lights" — the giant illuminated art installation on the Bay Bridge — will go dark in March unless deep-pocketed philanthropists step forward.

The view from the Embarcadero at dusk Thursday felt like a metaphor for San Francisco itself.

To the north, ominous storm clouds loomed as huge puddles left from the torrential rains dotted the road. But to the south, one of the largest light sculptures in the world shimmered and illuminated the silhouette of the Bay Bridge as a nearly full moon rose behind it, pelicans swooped past and revelers sipped martinis inside a luminous Waterbar.

At this precarious time for San Francisco, which has faced a cascade of crises over the past few years, the city could veer one of two ways: toward gloom and darkness or toward beauty, creativity and light. Ben Davis is betting on the latter — and he has an inspiring plan to help make it happen.

The founder of Illuminate, a nonprofit that creates light-filled public art, had the initial idea for "Bay Lights," the 25,000 LED lights that sparkle in an ever-changing, abstract display stretching 1.8 miles across 300 cables on the western span of the Bay Bridge.

Ben Davis, founder of Illuminate, is trying to raise $11 million to keep "Bay Lights" shining on the Bay Bridge.

But after 10 years, the installation is a bit like San Francisco itself: a great idea with a glowing past that's worn out, broken in parts and increasingly expensive to fix. Once you notice the display's bald patches where long stretches of lights have failed, you realize that the installation needs a refresh.

So on March 5, sadly, "Bay Lights" will go dark. But there's a glimmer of hope: Davis has a plan to bring them back, better than ever. He just needs the money to do it.

If he can raise $1 million apiece from 10 wealthy people — one has committed so far — plus another $1 million in small donations, he intends to spearhead a new installation. It would illuminate the bridge again by Labor Day weekend with twice as many lights, and they’d be far sturdier. He explained he has just one co-worker and it's actually easier to raise larger amounts from fewer people than to hit up large crowds for the same amount.

Instead of just twinkling on the bridge's north side, visible only to those living in the northern part of San Francisco and Marin, the lights will adorn the south sides of the same cables too. That means the display would be visible to those in the southern part of the city, as well as Oakland, Alameda and beyond.

And they’d even be visible to drivers heading into the city past a shimmering, Welcome to San Francisco-style wall of light. Ten years ago, Davis thought including lights on the south side of the cables visible to drivers would be too distracting, but now that drivers cope with cell phones, large display screens in their cars and a light show atop Salesforce Tower, he's no longer worried about it.

"We’re working closely and safely with bridge officials to reimagine "Bay Lights" on both sides of the cables," Davis told me, describing his vision as "a magical portal through which you can enter the city."

We chatted at Waterbar, which has the best indoor view of the light show, and where renowned light artist Leo Villareal designed "Bay Lights," next to a picture window overlooking the bridge. He's signed on to create the new version too.

"It's a crazy idea, and the Bay Area feels like the perfect place for crazy ideas that become real," Villareal told me. "It's very moving the effect artwork can have on people, and I really, truly hope it can help the city get through this period."

The new version, dubbed "Bay Lights 360" for its much broader reach, will look similar to the current version: constantly changing, abstract patterns with no beginning, middle or end. Villareal said "Bay Lights" inspired other cities to create similar light shows, too. He worked on London's Illuminated River on bridges over the Thames in 2021, for example.

The original "Bay Lights" consisted of off-the-shelf products from an international conglomerate, but Davis has secured Musco Lighting, a family-owned firm out of Iowa, to specially craft the new lights, which should stand up to wind, rain, fog, car exhaust and other elements much better, he said.

The Bay Bridge, with its "Bay Lights" installation is reflected in a window in San Francisco.

Anybody who donates a $1 million tax-deductible gift will receive a special edition Villareal artwork, recognition on a waterfront plaque and invitations to exclusive celebrations. Matt Mullenweg, a web developer who created WordPress, has pledged $1 million.

Before taking over Illuminate, Davis ran his own public relations firm called Words Pictures Ideas and specialized in branding and communications related to infrastructure projects — including one improving seismic safety on the Bay Bridge.

His idea for "Bay Lights" came over an early-morning coffee at the Ferry Building in September 2010. He vividly remembers watching the sun rise between the cables of the bridge, a span he knew would mark its 75th birthday the following year — and which never got the the same love and adoration as its big red neighbor to the north.

"How do you let this bridge shine again in the region's consciousness?" he remembers thinking. "I thought, what if this was a canvas of light?"

The bridge opened in November 1936 after just three years of construction. (Imagine that! It takes twice that long — or longer — to build affordable apartments in the city these days.)

"It was a moment of pride coming out of the Great Depression," Davis said. "It was a symbol of American ingenuity."

But just six months later, the Golden Gate Bridge opened and consumed the attention of city residents, photographers and postcard makers.

"The Bay Bridge became the Cinderella bridge, this hardworking, mostly overlooked bridge," Davis said. "If people thought about it at all, it was mostly from a sense of annoyance that they had to get across it."

He realized glamorizing the bridge with a light show would take a lot of time and money so he disbanded his firm and founded Illuminate to both fundraise and helm the creation of the giant art piece. "Bay Lights" opened in March 2013 as a temporary sculpture, but was made permanent in 2015 — or as permanent as equipment on a busy bridge can be. Davis acknowledged he expected the lights to last longer than they did.

"Bay Lights" was just the first step in what Davis called his own "magical journey" — which became a magical journey for San Francisco too. Illuminate has brightened the city during the past several depressing years, including spearheading the Golden Mile project on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to convert the thoroughfare into an ebullient car-free space with murals, pianos, seating and Doggie Diner heads.

It's also lit up the Conservatory of Flowers, Grace Cathedral and the Music Concourse bandshell and installed Harvey Milk's quote "Hope Will Never Be Silent" in neon at Castro and Market streets. Even the Pink Triangle atop Twin Peaks during Pride Month got the Illuminate treatment, the pink canvas giving way to 3,000 LED pink nodes on the hill.

Davis said he loves creating artwork that everybody can see and enjoy — for free. But it takes a lot of fundraising to get there. And he refuses to go the corporate branding route, rejecting a multimillion-dollar offer from Audi years ago, he said, to shine its four-circle logo on the bridge in lights.

Asked why our richest citizens should give money to a light show when there are more pressing needs in San Francisco, Davis said he wants philanthropists to dig deeper, not to withhold money from any other cause.

And that art is crucial too, especially in these bleak times, as it not only lifts people's spirits but draws tourists to the city to support restaurants, hotels and other institutions. A group led by McKinsey estimated "Bay Lights" had boosted the regional economy by $100 million annually.

Pete Sittnick, managing partner at Waterbar, confirmed "Bay Lights" has been a boon financially and spiritually. Tourists and locals alike constantly ask for the tables with the best views of the lights.

"It makes people happy, which is ultimately the goal of a restaurant," Sittnick said.

And if Davis can't raise the $11 million? Simple. No more "Bay Lights".

"We’re just going to do our best," he said with a shrug. "If we fail, one of the most beautiful aspects of San Francisco will go dark. This is a challenging time, and San Francisco needs to reinvent itself one more time."

I believe San Francisco can do it — that "Bay Lights" and the city itself will regain their lost luster. And that we’ll appreciate both of them even more once they do.

"Light," Davis said as we parted, "finds its highest purpose in darkness."

Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @hknightsf