Library re-opening delayed again, but Cinderella is almost here. 

The reopening of the San Francisco Public Library’s Mission Branch is now slated for October, according to an update given by the library’s facilities director, John Cunha, to the library commission last week.

Andrew Sohn, an architect at the Department of Public Works and the project’s director, told Mission Local in October that the renovation was expected to be mostly complete by March of this year, with an opening date to follow shortly after.

The latest delay comes as a result of utility hookups, according to Rachel Gordon, the Department of Public Works’ spokesperson.

“PG&E energization is happening this week, so we are just now getting power. Power hookup was the primary driver of the delay,” Gordon wrote to Mission Local. “Once power is on, we can start to commission all the building systems. The interior casework and finishes also could not be completed without the power.”

The 110-year-old building, one of seven libraries deemed a San Francisco landmark, closed for renovations in 2020 but pandemic-related delays meant that construction didn’t start until the summer of 2023. 

Mission Local reported in 2024 that the construction was delayed by months due to neighbors’ concerns about over “shoring” and “pinning” of the structure, amongst other factors.

During last week’s presentation, Cunha said the project’s budget is now at $40.7 million. This is up from the total cost of  $34.08 million posted on the Public Library’s website. Gordon said in October 2025 that the construction cost alone was $24.7 million.

Mission Local reported in 2018 that the renovations had a price tag of $19.8 million when they were first unveiled to Mission residents.

In a recent email, Gordon said the project’s preliminary estimate was $30 million, with a working budget of $34 million. She also attributed cost escalations and delays to multiple factors such as: a revised shoring design; an increased number of ceiling access panels due to DBI inspection requests; the addition of refrigerant piping; an added domestic water backflow preventer; unforeseen site conditions for demolition; unforeseen site conditions for the revised structural engineering and construction delays due to utility cutoffs and startup at the beginning of the project.