From A Self-Guided Tour of Saroyan’s San Francisco by Dori Myer "The downtown branch (opened in 1888) is the crown jewel of the San Francisco Library system. Today, the downtown library holds a History Center, which includes Saroyan in its Biography Collection. He rode the streetcar or walked to this location. This is mentioned in I Used to Believe I Had Forever, Now I’m Not So Sure (p. 104): “In the public library I examined only those books which could not be borrowed, the books of Art in the Reference Room; and the books of Patents, for there is nothing so instructive as man's foolish inventions, along with their preposterous illustrations.”" From San Francisco Access, 1987: "Remodeled by Denial Solomon and Associates in 1986. Within the exisiting entrance lobby (1916, George Kelham) are new classical temples where you check books in and out. The newly remodelled toilets contain the only real granite in the whole building. Elsewhere, what looks like granite is either terra cotta or plaster."