The San Francisco Mint

The building you are approaching is officially the Old United States Mint, though it is far more commonly known as the Granite Lady. When it opened in eighteen seventy-four, it served as a vital financial anchor for the American West, processing massive amounts of gold pulled from the California hills. Its architect, Alfred B. Mullett, designed the structure with a heavy, fortress-like Greek Revival aesthetic that was meant to convey permanent stability in a city then defined by the chaos of the gold rush. You will notice the thick, imposing sandstone walls and the central portico, which were built to withstand both the intense heat of minting operations and any potential attempts to tunnel into its massive vaults.