Home to books and rooks
Located in the Beaux Arts building on Post Street in the busy financial district, just a short walk from bustling Union Square, is the quiet intellectual oasis of the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco. It is one of several such organizations that appeared across the country in the late 19th century in an effort to help workers refine their trade skills. Opened in 1854 with a library to assistlaid-off miners, the collection’s technical focus has given way to literature, history, philosophy, finance, and hard-to-find periodicals. It’s the oldest library on the West Coast.
In the lobby of this nine-story building is a wonderful mural—painted in dark, moody colors—designed by Arthur Mathews for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The lobby and staircase walls are wrapped in pink and black marble. The elegant iron spiral staircase ascends to the fourth floor, where you’ll find a small and charming film-screening room, open to nonmembers. An ongoing feast of freshly popped popcorn and classic American and international films happens here every Friday.
Info
Address 57 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94104, www.milibrary.org, +1 415.393.0101 | Public Transport Bus: 2 (Post St & Montgomery St stop); 3 (Sansome St & Sutter St stop) | Hours Daily 9am–6pm| Tip Browse one of the finest modern art galleries in San Francisco, the Modernism, at 685 Market Street.
The serene environment of the library, with its overstuffed armchairs surrounded by walls lined with bookcases, has the quality of an exclusive gentlemen’s club. The Institute also hosts the longest continuously operating chess club in United States. The chess room, classically furnished with Thonet chairs surrounding the tables, is members-only, but you can enjoy a little gallery of photos documenting the club’s history in the hallway. One of the club’s students, Daniel Naroditsky, took the gold medal in the World Youth Chess Championship (for boys under 12) in 2007.
A private organization, it is open to the public for tours and viewing, but membership is required to check out materials from the library and participate in chess events. A free architectural tour is offered every Wednesday at noon.
Back
To the online map