What You Can Do
Give $11 to help support the 11 Most Endangered Places.
11 Most Endangered
The Old Mint
Year Listed: 1994
Location: San Francisco , California
Current Status: Favorable
Threat: Deterioration, Neglect, Poor Public Policy
Latest News
The preservation of this 11 Most site was supported by Save America's Treasures, a program that is facing elimination in the proposed federal budget. Join our campaign to save this component of preservation funding, which has restored 1,100 structures and collections and created 16,000 jobs coast to coast.
Significance
Thanks to abundant gold and Comstock silver, the San Francisco landmark fondly known as the "Granite Lady" was once the busiest mint in the United States. One of the last government buildings constructed in the Greek Revival style, the Old Mint, completed in 1874 is also the city's oldest stone building. When mint operations were moved to a new facility in 1933, the building housed office space and a popular museum.
Updates
The Treasury Department closed the building in 1993, citing an operation deficit and the need to make seismic upgrades and security improvements. Hard work by local supporters and the California congressional delegations reopened the museum temporarily, but substantial commitment from federal, state and local leaders and Bay Area citizens was needed to save the structure.
In 2001, National Trust staff was appointed to a Mayoral Task Force charged with soliciting and reviewing development proposals for the venerable National Historic Landmark. The task force voted unanimously in 2003 to support a proposal submitted by the San Francisco Museum & Historical Society (SFMHS) for a city museum combined with retail, restaurants, and office space for nonprofits. The estimated $95 million project will rely on a blend of tax credits, transfer of development rights, ticket sales, rental income, and public and private fundraising.
The City of San Francisco officially assumed ownership of the Old Mint from the federal government in August 2003. Since that time, SFMHS has secured $30 million of total cost required to finance their project and anticipates securing $12.3 million in New Markets Tax Credits. Per its development agreement with the City, SFMHS must secure the remaining funding, $60 million, before commencing the 12-month construction work. The bulk of this will come from the $47 million Mint Project Capital Campaign launched in December 2006. The completed project is scheduled open to the public in 2012.
Read More:
Share your memories of this endangered place
