The Mechanics’ Institute Library & Chess Room
About a century and a half before the idea of co-working even existed, there was the Mechanics’ Institute, a clubby, comfortable members-only library that has served San Francisco since 1855.
Since 1906, the library and chess room have been stacked on several floors of an historic building at 57 Post St. As an alternative to the rising cost of lattes and the competition for tables at cafes around the city, the Mechanics’ $95-a-year membership is a steal. The sunny, space offers plenty of sturdy, dark wood library tables and worn (OK, slightly shabby) leather armchairs as well as access to computers and printers. Improved Wi-Fi speed and a deep archive of books and periodicals and well-thumbed copies of the daily papers sweeten the deal.
To judge from an average day, the membership tends toward retirees with a smattering of younger, grad-student types. I know more than a few journalists and authors who use the library as their daily workspace, and to judge from the absence of cellphone chatter and loud collaborations, the startup community has yet to discover this analog oasis in our tech-mad city. As the old American Express ads used to say: Membership has its privileges.
Perks: Members also get access to the chess room on the fourth floor and invitations to readings, screenings and special events like a Bastille Day jazz concert. All of this, plus the air of so-uncool-it’s-cool make the Mechanics’ more than a place to plug in your laptop: It’s a portal to an older city, one that’s a little shabbier, a little less relentlessly hip and overpriced. I almost don’t want to write about this hidden gem for fear of ruining its pristine notso-perfect perfection.
Details: 57 Post St., S.F. http://www.milibrary.org. Annual membership: $35 (students); $95 (individual); $150 (family).
The Mechanics Institute
is a clubby, well-worn spot that has served San Francisco since 1855. Definitely not set up with the tech crowd in mind, it’s an old-school building complete with a library (above) and a chess room.