Board rejects landmark designation for North Beach Branch Library after preservation debate

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected a proposal to designate the North Beach Branch Library, located at 2000 Mason Street, as a historic landmark under Article 10 of the Planning Code.

The Land Use and Economic Development Committee recommended “do not pass,” and multiple supervisors on the floor echoed that view. Supervisor Hsu (speaking for the committee) said the Historic Preservation Commission debated the nomination over eight meetings with mixed results and that preservation experts had testified the building is “the least representative” of the Appleton and Wolford branch-library style, arguing it lacked architectural merit compared with other branch libraries that had previously been landmarked.

“I support historic preservation when merited,” Hsu said, but added that designating buildings lacking architectural merit would “cheapen” the landmark list and urged colleagues to vote no. Several speakers and community members had argued in favor of preservation, but the committee and the floor record showed a number of preservationists and architectural historians opposed the designation.

When the roll call was taken, the vote was 10 no and 1 yes; the ordinance failed on first reading and will not proceed. The board recorded the single aye vote and ten noes on the motion to landmark the North Beach library.

Supervisor Daley and others urged the board to be careful to protect meritorious landmarks but also to reserve The Landmark designation for buildings with clear architectural or historical significance.

Because the vote failed on this reading, no preservation regulation or monument status was added for the building at this time.