A second US Mint opened in San Francisco in 1854 to accommodate all the gold coming out of the Sierras. In its first year of operation it turned $4 million worth of gold bullion into coins. Quickly outgrowing its space, the US government purchased the lot at 5th and Mission and built what today is known as the Old Mint. It is a massive Greek Revival structure made of hand placed blocks of sandstone. The building was nicknamed The Granite Lady, not because of the building itself, but because of the granite foundation that was laid to deter entrepreneurs from tunneling into the building. The basement had rows of bank vaults that held one-third of the nation’s gold reserves. There was an independent well in an enclosed courtyard which became paramount during the 1906 Earthquake and Fires[1]. A former fire chief, who happened to be employed at the Mint at the time, organized employees into an impromptu fire brigade that protected the building for seven hours as the fire raged around them. The tar roof burned, the plated glass windows melted, and the sandstone blocks that made up the façade of the building exploded from the sheer heat of the blaze. But in the end, the building was saved and able to re-open immediately, advancing over $5,000,000 to local banks for immediate rebuilding efforts.
In 1937 the Mint moved a new building at 155 Hermann Street. It continued to produce coinage until production was suspended in 1955. When it reopened thirteen years later it took over proof coinage and commemorative coin production.
The Old Mint remained opened as a tourist attraction until 1993. In 2003 the government sold the building to the City for $1 with the understanding that the building would be turned into a historical museum. Renovations were started, but in 2015 the City began leasing the building for community and private events until enough money can be raised for restoration[2]. The California Historical Society[3] hopes to ultimately turn the building into a museum.
[1] 1906 Earthquake and Fires: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849
[2] Visit them at www.thesanfranciscomint.com
[3] Visit them at https://Californiahistoricalsociety.org
