Bernal Heights in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Original Site of Bancroft Library
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 18, 2020
1. Original Site of the Bancroft Library Marker
The marker, photographed through a fence, and itself surrounded by another fence, is currently inaccessible. Once construction in the immediate area is completed (which would appear to be at least two years from now), the marker will presumably be once again publicly accessible.
Here from 1881-1906 stood the library of Hubert Howe Bancroft who in 1860 began to collect the wealth of material which was to subsequently result in the writing of his monumental history of western North America. In 1905, the library was purchased by the University of California and removed the following year to its Berkeley campus.
Erected by California State Park Commission, Friends of the Bancroft Library, California Historical Society, St. Luke's Hospital. (Marker Number 791.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.
Location. 37° 44.855′ N, 122° 25.223′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Bernal Heights. Marker is at the intersection of Valencia Street and Cesar Chavez, on the right when traveling south on Valencia Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1538 Valencia Street, San Francisco CA 94110, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Lapidos House (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Golden Hydrant (approx. 0.8 miles away); St. Mary's Pub (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Lexington Club
this page online
More about this marker. The marker is for California Registered Historical Landmark No. 791.
Also see . . .
1. California Historical Landmark 791 - Original Site of Bancroft Library (Noehill.com). (Submitted on December 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.)
2. Bancroft Library (Wikipedia). "The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. The collection at that time consisted of 50,000 volumes of materials on the history of California and the North American West. It is the largest such collection in the world...." (Submitted on December 20, 2020.)
Photo courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library, circa 1890
2. Hubert Howe Bancroft's Historical Library of Pacific Coast Books, Maps and Manuscripts
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 149 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
