The Archives collects, organizes, and preserves the historical records of the Mechanics' Institute, including, but not limited to, organizational records, the Board of Trustees by-laws and reports, records and ephemera from the Industrial Fairs, Chess Club records and photographs, and historical books, documents, and ephemera directly related to the activities and administration of the Mechanics' Institute. The Special Collections are comprised of books, photographs, and ephemera relating to chess, California, the history of San Francisco and Northern California, international expositions, and other subjects with direct or tangential importance to the Mechanics' Institute. Historians and writers interested in local history and the history of the development of membership libraries make use of the archives for research.
ARCHIVES
Building Collection, 1899-present
This collection contains blueprints and mechanical drawings of historical significance to the Mechanics' Institute. Among the collection's contents are the original blueprints for the our current 1910 Mechanics' Institute building at 57 Post St. by architect Albert Pissis, drawn on linen-backed paper, as well as blueprints for most structural changes made to the building up to the present day. The earliest dated piece of the collection is 1899; the latest is 2005.
Also included are historical photographs, facsimiles of insurance maps from 1905 pertaining to the MI, and other documents of historical significance. Included in this group is a set of original color drawings of machinery created by Harry C. Adair for mechanical drawing classes at the MI in 1899, as well as the award certificate that was issued to Adair at the 31st Industrial Exposition for his drawing of a "Corlis Engine."
Chess Club Records, Photographs, Tournaments, 1883-present
The Mechanics' Institute of San Francisco is home to the oldest chess club in the United States and is the finest public repository of chess literature west of the Mississippi. The walls of the chess club are covered with photos documenting its activities and the 44 chess tables in daily use date back to 1909. Its guestbook includes the signatures of World Champions from Alexander Alekhine to Boris Spassky. Besides its extensive collection of chess literature, the Mechanics' Institute has a large collection of records documenting its activities, including many tournament records (crosstables) prior to 1991 which are not to be found in the U.S. Chess Federation's online records. Nor is this information in Jeremy Gaige's pioneering series Chess Tournament Crosstables or Gino Di Felice's Chess Results.
The Chess Photo collection comprises nearly 500 photographs, and spans from 1909 to 2012. It primarily covers the history of chess in California, with particular attention to Northern California and the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club, as well as occasional coverage of Southern California. Also included are New York, Seattle, and other important locations to chess history. The largest part of the collection is tournaments, with particular attention paid to the 1991 and 1995 Pan-Pacific International Chess Tournaments, held in San Francisco.
The collection contains black-and-white and color photographs, in various sizes. Unique to the collection are the many portraits of chess masters giving exhibitions at the Mechanics' Institute: George Koltanowsky, Imre Koenig, Boris Spassky, Vassily Smyslov, and Tigran Petrosian, among others.
Mechanics' Institute History: ByLaws, Minutes, Membership records, Photographs, 1857-present
The Mechanics' Institute is an enduring fixture in San Francisco history. Its 160-year existence has produced a trove of historical documents, ephemera and photographs which are valued by our members, researchers, historians and genealogists. The cataloged items in the Mechanics' Institute archive include 35 volumes of Board of Trustee Minutes dating from 1857, 15 volumes of bound Annual Reports and an additional 4.5 cu.ft. of loose Annual Report booklets, approximately 50 copies of the Institute's Constitution and Bylaws booklets, 34 volumes of Membership Lists and Registers as well as 23 card file boxes filled with 3"x5" cards with membership information, 132 bound volumes and pamphlets from the Mercantile Library Association which merged with the Mechanics' Institute in 1906, 16 volumes of Members' Ledgers, 9 volumes of Accessions Ledgers, at least 250 photographs, print blocks and drawings, newspaper clippings, and many items that have never been catalogued.
Mechanics' Institute Industrial Exhibitions, 1857-1899
The history of the Mechanics' Institute is interwoven with that of the city of San Francisco. Between 1857 and 1899, the Mechanics' Institute sponsored thirty-one Industrial Exhibitions not only for the good of the region but as a way to make an income for the Institute as thousands of people attended these popular and colossal events. The Exhibitions promoted the evolution of California from the gold rush economy through the age of industry and agriculture and offered a way for local merchants and manufacturers to display their products, such as agricultural products, manufactured goods, scientific apparatus, and art, to the general public. These entrepreneurs included names such as Ghirardelli and Levi Strauss. Written reports were prepared for each of these Exhibitions giving an accounting of the income and expenses, rules and regulations, articles exhibited, art pieces displayed, descriptions of the opening exercises, detailed descriptions of the awards (medals & diplomas) given in various categories, and reports of the various committees. The Institute's collection includes 51 bound volumes and booklets of the Exhibition Reports, approximately 50 photographs, 25 medals and at least 5 diplomas.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Industrial Expositions and World's Fairs, 1894-1962
In addition to the collection of archival material from the Mechanics' Institute's Industrial Exhibitions, we have a fairly extensive special collection related to other California Industrial Exhibitions and World's Fairs. This collection contains 13 bound volumes and booklets and other ephemera pertaining to the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, 157 catalogued items including texts, pamphlets, booklets, maps, a videocassette, photos and newspaper clippings for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, and 89 catalogued volumes, pamphlets, maps and booklets relating to the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. Our catalog also includes 86 catalogued texts for historical international and national Exhibitions and World's Fairs.
Californiana, 1840-present
The Mechanics' Institute Californiana Special Collection consists of 4500 books and journal volumes on a broad range of topics. The strength of the collection is a result of the Institute's unique standing as California's first library. The collection offers researchers (authors, historians, reporters, filmmakers, genealogists) resources on all aspects of California's evolution as a major player in science and industry, technical innovation, and agriculture. Popular subjects include California water projects, famous California crimes, Hollywood culture, biographies of Californians, pioneer narratives of the early days of California, and various histories of the state.
Collection Highlights:
- City directories dating from 1852
- Grizzly Bear journal
- California and Overland Monthly
- The works of Hubert Howe Bancroft
- Books and journals on the 1906 earthquake and fires, Gold Rush and Comstock Lode
Western Americana, early 1800s-present
The Western Americana collection consists of over 6,000 books, maps, photographs, and printed ephemera which document the exploration, settlement, and development of the Trans-Mississippi West, including Hawaii and Alaska. The collection contains material about the history and culture of Native American communities throughout the West, and on the history of the Spanish Southwest, Texas, the Pacific Northwest and the Overland Trails after the discovery of gold.
Chess Books and Journals, late 1700s-present
The Mechanics' Institute's collection of chess literature is its prize possession. It provides a valuable service to all chess players from serious historians of the game to those looking to improve their play. The collection includes over 2000 volumes on chess from the late 1700s to the present. The Mechanics' collection of chess periodicals is especially strong with complete runs of major European publications including British Chess Magazine, the oldest continuously published chess magazine dating back to 1882. The collection boasts all volumes of American Chess Bulletin (1904-1963), Chess Review (1933-1969) and Chess Life and Review (Chess Life) from 1961 to the present. The Mechanics' collection of California periodicals rivals that of the John G. White collection at the Cleveland Public Library, the undisputed number one institution in the world for chess literature. The Mechanics' has several California regional chess publications not in the Cleveland collection, including Chess in Action.
