The Navy SEAL Museum transformed a long vacant building in downtown San Diego into a vibrant public destination that honors service, history, and community. Located across from the historic Santa Fe Depot, it brings new energy to the area while creating a meaningful place for residents, visitors, veterans, and military families to gather, learn, and reflect.
What stands out is how thoughtfully the project balances immersive storytelling with accessibility and adaptability. Universal design principles are seamlessly integrated throughout, ensuring visitors of all ages and abilities can share the experience together. Rather than starting from scratch, the team creatively repurposed an existing building, extending its life while reducing environmental impact.
The museum’s exhibits, technology, and distinctive architectural features create a memorable experience, but it’s the sense of connection that makes the project special. It celebrates a significant part of San Diego’s identity while providing space for education, reflection, and civic pride. The result is more than a museum. It is an engaging community asset that strengthens downtown, supports local tourism and economic activity, and tells an important story in a way that feels relevant, welcoming, and uniquely San Diegan.
Orchids & Onions
Navy Seal Museum San Diego
Orchid
Interior Design
Address
1001 Kettner Blvd
Owner / Developer
Navy Seal Museum San Diego
Architect
ID Studios, Inc.
Contractor
Burger Construction
Structural Engineer
BWE, Inc.
Mechanical & Plumbing Engineer
H+W Engineering
Interiors
ID Studios, Inc.
Other
Experience Design - G&A; Broker- CBRE
Photo credit: Connor Newton and Terri Rippee
This is amazing opportunity to learn more about the Navy Seals right here in our own backyard.
Wow, looks cool. I’ll have to visit!
What an amazing project! The emotional experience was unexpected and so proud the Navy SEAL/ SWCC family has a place all their own in San Diego.
Love the environmental considerations that were included in this project!
What a great space! Excited to see it being recognized! Such a wonderful opportunity to experience the history.
Happy to see the history and honor the people who have given so much to our world. An amazing place and experience!
This look super cool, got to check it out!
Proud to have been a part of the TEAM to bring this vision to life. This is definitely a project for the books! Thank you to all who were involved!
What an amazing project! The space shines a great light on the history of the program.
Absolutely top a level Museum! It was such an honor to be a very small part of the project! Hanging the sub was very cool!! Always Supporting and God bless our Troops 🇺🇸!
An amazing experience in the history and past valor of our local frog men who can’t be enshrined enough. Having personally worked with the Navy and its troops it makes me very proud to have such an incredible memorial to our service men.
An incredible combination of history, education and inspiration. The space is absolutely amazing and such an incredible honor to have in San Diego!
Beautiful space!!!
What a great experience, my family and I had the pleasure of visiting and it was so cool. My daughters were very excited to go and had a wonderful time and talked about it for days afterwards.
What a great project! Loved the overall design and vibe. So cool to see all the old gear.
Such a great experience! Provides opportunity for Navy Seals to show their pride and share with family. Great for a family activity all around!
Very cool design work. It’s accessible, engaging, and honors our active military and veterans. Gorgeous work.
Wow what a great museum! The history, the immersive experience and overall architectural interior design! My family and I enjoyed our visit.
What an amazing project!!
Such a cool project, the look and feel of the museum was very thoughtfully designed. Congrats to this fantastic project team!
A fantastic attraction and a transformative experience – so proud to see the Navy SEAL Museum open in San Diego, inspiring us all to live a life of purpose and to serve a cause greater than ourselves! Hats off to the teams who worked tirelessly to bring this impactful, experiential vision to life.