The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 27, July 6, 2003, Article 3

GALA AT OLD SAN FRANCISCO MINT

  A July 1, 2003 article in the San Francisco Chronicle
  reported on a fundraising event held at the old San
  Francisco Mint.

  "The rats have been poisoned, the scale model has been built,
  and the dreamers have done their dreaming.  Now, all that's
  needed for the old U.S. Mint to open as a museum is for
  someone to cough up $46 million.

  The latest effort to save the mint kicked off on Monday night
  with a fundraiser, the gala kind. It raised about $90,000. That
  means, said project director Jim Lazaraus, there's only
  $45,910,000 to go.

 "This time," Lazarus said in his most optimistic voice, "I'd say
 it may happen."

  "In the courtyard, a black rope kept visitors from venturing
  outside. Were there to be an earthquake, the unreinforced
  brick chimneys could come down and bonk donors on the
  head, which would not be good for the museum's future.

  Small pieces of granite that had fallen from the wall littered
  the courtyard. Some well-wishers picked up the pieces for
  souvenirs.

  If all goes well, Lazarus said, renovation of the building will
  begin next year, and the glorious new museum of San
  Francisco will open in 2006, complete with atrium, skylights,
  a theater, elevators, a tony restaurant and souvenir shops."

  To read the full article, see:
  http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/01/BA268470.DTL
  The article's tone is not very hopeful for the success of the
  venture of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
  It was created in 2002 as an umbrella organization for "The
  management of the City history collections of the San Francisco
  Museums and Historical Society, the Fine Arts Museums of
  San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Library and other
  City departments.  See  http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/site/mhsac_index.asp

  Question: if the courtyard was off limits how did souvenir hunters
  grab the granite?   The project director's name was spelled two
  different ways in the article, so we can all be puzzled by that.

  Further background on the project is available at the San
  Francisco Historical Society web site: http://www.sfhistory.org/
  Click on "more information" under the item titled "Keep up on
  the news of the Old Mint."  Readers can make a donation to
  the project via a link on that page.

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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