The renovations at the 108-year-old Mission Branch of the San Francisco Public Library are expected to be delayed until late winter 2026, Mission Local has learned.
A sign at the construction site says the library will reopen by the summer of 2025. But now, that is unlikely to happen until January or February of 2026, according to the city. The building has been closed since March 2020, and the library began temporarily operating at 1234 Valencia St. in June 2022.
“As with any building project — particularly renovations — there are many unforeseen circumstances during the construction process,” Beth Rubenstein, deputy director of policy and communications at Public Works, wrote in an email.
She said earlier that, despite the sign at the construction site, Public Works estimated work would be done in December of next year. Now, she said, they are estimating it will be done sometime in the winter of 2026.
“Public Works and the general contractor will continue to look for ways to mitigate delays. And, as we are over a year from completion, it’s expected that we’d encounter moments when construction might speed up as well as slow down. At this point, we expect that the project completion will be late winter,” she wrote.
Rubenstein said the extra time will be needed to address neighbor concerns about the “shoring” and “underpinning” of the structure and “vibration monitoring plan.” The crew also ran into unforeseen field conditions requiring additional structural design, PG&E delays in de-energizing the electrical vault and the need to substitute a subcontractor.
Public Works declined to confirm the subcontractor’s name and its scope of work. Amoroso Construction, the company that won the $23 million contract for the project in 2022, did not respond to requests for comment.
The project was expected to cost $19.8 million when it was first announced in 2019, but the number later increased to $24.7 million soon after the contract was awarded in December 2022. By the time construction started last August, the price tag had risen another 47 percent, to $34 million.
Rubenstein could not confirm if the delays are likely to increase the final price even further.
“The renovation for the Mission Branch Library will restore the landmarked building into a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient facility that will better serve residents and visitors, while still maintaining the Branch’s historic charm and its community roots,” Mayor London Breed said in August, when the construction began.
The project will add a 100-person community room and a dedicated teen room. It will also update the adjacent landscape with a secure courtyard adjacent to the community room.
The original main entry on 24th Street and the lost historic main staircase will also be restored, while obsolete building systems will be replaced. The library would receive upgrades such as rooftop solar panels, a battery-storage system, air conditioning and enhanced air filtration.
The Mission branch has been temporarily operating at 1234 Valencia St. since the summer of 2022, and its original building at 24th and Bartlett streets has been closed since June of 2019.
Oof, what a bummer. Glad it’s happening eventually, though!
(Also it’s Bartlett Street, not Barrett or Barlett <3)
When will they restore street access? They’ve made a dangerous, narrow pedestrian passage on a key street.
Why am I not surprised?
The only question is whether the delay is due to incompetence, excessive bureaucracy, or graft. Or some combination of all three. Welcome to San Francisco!
How long has PG&E delayed this? PGE energizing and de-energizing delays are a huge problem that have delayed some big projects for up to 18 mo. Public Works delays are also a huge problem (DPW has to review and approve all sorts of things along the way) — thanks for shining a light on this and keep asking questions please.
So 24th St will continue to have the construction walkway which jets out and does not allow for two MUNI buses to pass each other in opposite directions. Would have been cheaper to tear down and build a modern structure.