Free tours of the Old SF Mint

The Old Mint at Fifth and Mission Streets in San Francisco opened 130 years ago, in 1874. At the time, it was the largest federal building in the West and held a third of the nation’s gold supply (read about its history). Coin-minting operations in the ornate Greek Revival building shut down in 1937, and a museum inside the landmark closed in 1994.

The Old Mint is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of 11 Most Endangered Places. The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society plans to restore the building and provide a permanent home for a 40,000-sf city museum, with the balance of the building being used for a visitor center to be operated by the Convention and Visitors Bureau; Bureau of the Mint exhibits in the historic vaults; office space for community organizations; and related restaurant and retail spaces. For further details, visit sfhistory.org/.

Free guided tours of the Old Mint will be offered in October. Explore the vaults, the Victorian details, and learn about the building’s history. All tours last an hour and a half.

Old Mint tours
Tuesday, 19 October at 6 pm
Tuesday, 26 October at 6 pm
Saturday, 23 October at 10 am