Pier 24, vacant since 1980, has shed its skin as an abandoned warehouse in the Port of San Francisco and transformed into a massive temple of Modernist and contemporary photography (just check out their impressive list of artists). We can thank the Pilara Foundation, an organization that provides SF Art Institute students with direct access to renowned photographers, for this new outpost of high art.

If you're thinking this sleek space is members-only, guess again. The entire experience is free of charge. As long as you make an appointment for a guided tour or free-for-all viewing of the work by world-class lens masters such as Richard Avedon, William Eggleston, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus and Henri Cartier-Bresson, you're in. So keep your calendars clear this fall, when Pier 24 unveils its freshest exhibit during the height of San Francisco's summer in September.