Presidio Branch Library Moves Toward Landmark Status

by Jonathan Farrell

The proposal to designate the Presidio Branch Library as a historical landmark moved forward when the SF Planning Commission approved the nod Jan. 15.

Noted as "landmark number 240," the formal documentation the Planning Commission reviewed is a basic outline of the library's contribution to the local community.

Located at 3150 Sacramento St., the library, with its ample lawn space and extended steps to the entrance, welcomes streams of visitors. Two columns and an arched facade set it apart from shops and businesses along the busy street.

The library was built in 1921 as part of one man's vision and legacy, Andrew Carnegie, the 19th century steel industry magnate who had plans to use his wealth for philanthropic purposes.

Carnegie believed that the wealthy have a moral obligation to use their money to benefit the community. In 1893, he embarked on an endeavor that would construct 1,688 public libraries in 1,419 communities, including San Francisco, across America.

There are seven Carnegie-funded library branches in San Francisco.

According to historian Tim Kelley, who is helping secure landmark status for the library, "nothing is automatically designated a historical landmark."

Kelley wrote the nomination proposal for the Presidio Branch Library as well as six other branches in the City. He has been serving as president of the SF Landmarks Board for the past three years.

"It has to be brought before a committee with a nomination and the next one up (for landmark status) is the Richmond Branch," Kelley said.

According to city Planner Mark Luellen, landmark nominations are a multi-step process. The designation is ultimately left to the SF Board of Supervisors and the mayor to approve.

In September 2003 the Presidio and Sunset branch libraries were nominated. Kelley, among others, worked to help the process along.

"I have been working with the SF Public Library so that everyone's happy," Kelley said.

A retired boat captain at Red Stack Tug Boats, Kelley has a keen interest in history.

"I saw how much money people were spending on Victorian houses," he said. "I was amazed."

This amazement turned Kelley into a historian bent on the successful designation of all seven Carnegie libraries as landmarks.

"Carnegie had a huge influence upon libraries," Kelly said.

But Carnegie's philanthropy faced opposition from his earlier stance on labor disputes.

Labor unions sometimes chastised Carnegie and, in several instances, his generosity was rejected. This was due mostly to the socio-political climate of the day, when capitalists such as Carnegie had to contend with the rise of labor unions.

Carnegie's reputation and trust among labor organizations had been tarnished in 1892, when a labor strike broke out. During the four-month conflict between workers at his steel mill, laborers were killed. This set labor unions against him so Carnegie had to change his approach to philanthropy.

Carnegie enlisted the help of municipal entities in each locality in America to promote his progressive ideas. His friendship with SF Mayor James Phelan helped Carnegie build the seven branches in the City.

But the alliance turned out to be a disappointment for Carnegie because the grant was not used for 12 years.

According to Kelley, Carnegie and Phelan were well acquainted with one another but each man had a different vision.

"Phelan wanted to use the $750,000 grant for a main library, whereas Carnegie wanted it to be used to build branches," Kelly said.

Wealthy people were the greatest patrons of libraries at the start of the 20th century, but Carnegie thought every citizen should have access to them. Branch libraries could extend to locations where average people lived and served as a central locale for any community.

In 1901 Phelan became embroiled in a labor dispute, which served to remind the public about Carnegie's earlier workers' strike. This delayed Carnegie's plans for libraries in San Francisco by 12 years.

When construction finally got underway, architect G. Albert Lansburgh, who studied under Bernard Maybeck, designed the Presidio and several other library branches. Maybeck also designed the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District.

In this age, where computers seem to be a major source for information, Kelley and his colleagues hope to preserve not just the building, but a legacy that extends far beyond Carnegie's vision - "a desire for knowledge that is afforded to everyone."