Old Sutro library

From the ashes of a devastating earthquake, a literary phoenix arose. The Old Sutro Library, a survivor of San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake, stands as a testament to the enduring power of knowledge and the vision of one extraordinary man. Adolph Sutro, a Prussian immigrant who made his fortune in the Nevada silver mines, dreamt of providing San Francisco with a public research library that rivaled the world’s greatest. He began amassing a collection of rare books, manuscripts, and maps in the late 1870s. By 1898, his collection had grown to an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 volumes, including 4,000 incunabula, the earliest printed books. Sutro envisioned the Old Sutro Library as a cornerstone of San Francisco’s intellectual landscape. Sadly, he died before a permanent home could be built. The collection remained in storage until Sutro’s heirs deeded it to the California State Library in 1913, with the stipulation that it never leave San Francisco city limits. The Old Sutro Library officially opened to the public in 1917. It faced yet another challenge: the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed about two-thirds of the original collection. The surviving materials became the heart of the Old Sutro Library we know today. The Old Sutro Library’s journey has been one of resilience and adaptation. It has occupied various locations throughout San Francisco, from the Lane Medical Library to the San Francisco Public Library, even residing for a time at the University of San Francisco. In 2012, the Old Sutro Library finally found its permanent home on the campus of San Francisco State University, where it shares space with the J. Paul Leonard Library. Today, the Old Sutro Library houses an impressive array of materials. Its collections cover a vast range of topics, from British history and Mexican pamphlets to Hebrew manuscripts and Shakespearean folios. It also boasts one of the largest genealogical collections west of Salt Lake City. The Old Sutro Library invites you to explore the world through the pages of its remarkable collection. It is a place where history comes alive, where knowledge endures, and where the vision of Adolph Sutro continues to inspire.