The 110-year-old Mission District public library branch, which has been closed since 2020 for extensive renovations, will be back in service soon: It will reopen its doors on Saturday, Nov. 14, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Aztec dancers, a children\u2019s story hour and live music.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The building at 300 Bartlett St., on the corner with 22nd Street, is one of seven San Francisco libraries deemed a landmark. It has been closed since March 2020 for renovations to make it more energy efficient and seismically safe, among other changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The library will now have a teenagers room with young adult books, a children\u2019s room, a meeting space with capacity for 100 people, a new courtyard and two new bathrooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Mission Branch Library began operating temporarily at 1234 Valencia St. in June 2022, though renovations did not start until August 2023. Those were estimated to take two years, but lasted three.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t thank you enough for your patience and support,\u201d read a statement from the San Francisco Public Library on the Mission branch\u2019s reopening.<\/p>\n
The renovations also include an earthquake retrofit and end the library\u2019s use of natural gas \u2014 the space was outfitted with solar panels. An interior staircase on 24th Street was rebuilt after it was first removed in 1997 and the library\u2019s original entrance on 24th Street was restored.<\/p>\n
The renovations hit roadblocks on the way. In October 2024, Mission Local reported<\/a> a months-long delay due to \u201cunforeseen circumstances\u201d with construction. A year later, we wrote that the library would reopen sometime in the spring<\/a> of this year. But in May the opening was pushed back<\/a> another six months.\u00a0<\/p>\n