San Francisco - California Historical Society

In October 1993 the California Historical Society purchased 678 Mission Street, the former San Francisco Builders Exchange and a former hardware store, in the newly developed Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. The building was renovated for seismic safety and the basement, which extends underneath the Mission Street sidewalk, was converted into a climate-controlled storage vault for the Society's collections. The current CHS headquarters accommodates the administrative offices, North Baker Research Library, exhibition galleries, and museum store.