Presidio Branch
🏢 San Francisco Public Library · Laurel Heights, San Francisco, California
Presidio Branch
San Francisco's stately Presidio Branch has served Laurel Heights since 1898; its 1921 Carnegie building — designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in Italian Renaissance style, designated SF Landmark #240, and sensitively restored to LEED Silver standards in 2011 — is the last and largest of San Francisco's seven historic Carnegie libraries, and the branch that author Richard Brautigan immortalized as a sanctuary for unpublished manuscripts.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 1pm–6pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–8pm |
| Thursday | 10am–6pm |
| Friday | 1pm–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–6pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–5pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 3150 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone: (415) 355-2880
Website: sfpl.org
Plus Code: 849VQHQ4+H2 (San Francisco, CA)
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📖 About Presidio Branch
The Presidio Branch of the San Francisco Public Library has anchored Laurel Heights — the quiet residential quarter between Pacific Heights, the Fillmore District, and the Presidio — since 1898, making it the sixth branch ever established in the SFPL system. Its landmark building at 3150 Sacramento Street opened in 1921, designed by prolific San Francisco architect G. Albert Lansburgh in Italian Renaissance style and funded by an $83,228 Andrew Carnegie grant. The building's broad three-tiered staircase rises from a landscaped lawn — originally planted by Golden Gate Park superintendent John McLaren, who secured a wrought-iron fence with remaining Carnegie funds — to a dignified main entrance. Designated San Francisco Landmark #240, it is the last and largest of San Francisco's seven historic Carnegie libraries. A $4.1 million restoration completed in March 2011 by architects Field Paoli and Joseph Chow & Associates achieved LEED Silver standards while adding accessible restrooms, a children's interactive learning area, a teen section, a community program room, improved pendant lighting, and seismic upgrades — all without altering the ornate terra cotta facade or original wood shelving. The branch holds a small literary distinction: in his 1970 novel The Abortion: An Historical Romance, author Richard Brautigan used the real address at 3150 Sacramento Street to set a fictional library that accepted unpublished manuscripts from any author — a concept so convincing it inspired the founding of a real Brautigan Library in Burlington, Vermont, in 1990.
⭐ What makes this library special
- San Francisco Landmark #240: the last and largest of SF's seven historic Carnegie branch libraries, built 1921 with an $83,228 Andrew Carnegie grant
- Designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in Italian Renaissance style with ornate terra cotta facade, three-tiered entrance stairs across a landscaped lawn, and original wood shelving
- LEED Silver restoration (2011, $4.1 million) by Field Paoli — one of the first Carnegie libraries in the US to achieve green-building certification
- Literary landmark: Richard Brautigan's 1970 novel The Abortion: An Historical Romance set this branch as a fictional archive accepting unpublished manuscripts, inspiring the real Brautigan Library
- Hosts weekly Beginner and Advanced Tai Chi classes and Toddler Storytime, plus small Chinese and Russian language collections
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
SFPL cardholders can stream, borrow, and research free through San Francisco's shared digital collections:
📚 Services
- Adult, teen, and children's book collections (fiction, nonfiction, reference)
- Periodicals and audiovisual materials
- Small Chinese-language and Russian-language collections
- Free recovery and 12-step program books
- Free Wi-Fi and public computers
- Community program room
- Children's interactive learning space
- Designated teen area
- Interlibrary Loan via Link+ (statewide California libraries)
- 24-hour exterior book return
🎸 Programs
- Storytime for Toddlers (weekly)
- Beginner Tai Chi with Patrick Lau
- Advanced Tai Chi with Patrick Lau
- Health & Wellness events
- Community events in the ground-floor program room
📍 Nearby SFPL Branches in San Francisco
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in San Francisco · Browse all California libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How old is the Presidio Branch building, and is it a protected landmark?
The current building at 3150 Sacramento Street opened in 1921 and is designated San Francisco Landmark #240. It is the last and largest of the seven Carnegie branch libraries built in San Francisco, funded by an $83,228 Andrew Carnegie grant and designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in Italian Renaissance style. The ornate terra cotta facade, three-tiered entrance stairs, and original wood shelving were preserved during the 2011 LEED Silver restoration by architects Field Paoli and Joseph Chow & Associates.
What is the Presidio Branch's connection to author Richard Brautigan?
In his 1970 novel The Abortion: An Historical Romance, San Francisco writer Richard Brautigan used the Presidio Branch — at its real address, 3150 Sacramento Street — as the fictional setting for a library that accepted unpublished manuscripts from any author who walked through the door. The novel was so convincing that readers began mailing manuscripts to the branch and asking whether the service really existed. Brautigan's concept later inspired the founding of the real Brautigan Library, first established in Burlington, Vermont, in 1990.
What fitness or wellness programs does the Presidio Branch offer?
The branch hosts both Beginner Tai Chi and Advanced Tai Chi classes led by instructor Patrick Lau, as well as periodic Health & Wellness events in its community program room. These programs complement the branch's Toddler Storytime for younger visitors. Check the SFPL events calendar at sfpl.org/locations/presidio for current schedules.
Does the branch have any multilingual materials or collections?
Yes. The Presidio Branch holds small collections in both Chinese and Russian, in addition to its main English-language collection of fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, and DVDs. Free recovery and 12-step program books are also available. For the broadest selection of Chinese-language materials in SFPL, the Chinatown/Him Mark Lai Branch at 1135 Powell Street holds the system's largest Chinese-language collection.
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