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Things To Do San Francisco
Mechanic's Institute Library and Chess Club
Financial District
57 Post Street
San Francisco CA
415.393.0101
Website
The Mechanics' Institute building houses the oldest library on the West Coast and one of the oldest chess clubs in the United States. It was organized in 1854 when San Francisco was a frontier community far removed from anywhere by a small group of citizens as a center for adult technical education. Each month, the Library adds some 300 new books, videotapes and audiocassettes to the collections. There is noteworthy strength in the following areas: literature, fine arts, social sciences, applied sciences, biography, business and finance, philosophy, and history. Many members describe the Library as "an oasis amidst the crowded jungle of the San Francisco Financial District."
