Membership Levels, Benefits and Dues

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the story of one of the world’s great cities: San Francisco.

All members receive the following basic benefits:*

  • Panorama – the Society’s quarterly newsletter announcing programs and activities and featuring historical articles and book reviews
  • The Argonaut – our semiannual journal of original articles about San Francisco history
  • Free admission to monthly programs featuring presentations on remarkable aspects of San Francisco history
  • Invitations to events such as the Annual Awards Luncheon
  • Guided walking tours of San Francisco neighborhoods and districts and the Barbary Coast Trail
  • Invitations for periodic excursions to buildings and locations of historic significance

* Benefit covers one person for single History Enthusiast or Community Access memberships and two persons in the same household for dual memberships. Please note that we have updated membership category names and prices, and we have also upgraded our database and member management systems this year; a small number of records may require manual updates – please contact membership@sfhistory.org if you have noticed incorrect membership info.



Basic Membership Levels

History Enthusiast – $80/year for one person, $110/year Dual History Enthusiast*

Community Access: $60/year, $100/year Dual Community Access*
The Community Access Membership is for: Seniors (age 62+) / Students & Teachers / Disabled Persons*
All basic benefits of a History Enthusiast at a discounted price.

Corporate Membership: $100/year
All basic benefits of a History Enthusiast (covers all organizations, including non-profit and academic institutions)

* Dual memberships are only available for two named members who reside at the same address, regardless of relationship. Member signing up is considered head of household.


Enhanced Membership Levels

Bronze Circle ($150/year, Individual or Dual*)

All basic benefits, plus:

  • Choice of a free book celebrating San Francisco (value $15 – $20; see book list below)
  • Four guest passes for monthly programs or Barbary Coast Trail Walks (value up to $80)

Silver Circle ($500/year, Individual or Dual*)

All basic benefits, plus:

  • Choice of a free book celebrating San Francisco (value $30 – $40; see book list below)
  • Ten guest passes for monthly programs or Barbary Coast Trail Walks (value up to $200); once in-person programs resume.
  • Credit of up to $50 in additional discounts which may be applied to admission to selected special excursions or special events

Gold Circle ($1,500/year Individual or Dual*)

  • Choice of two free books celebrating San Francisco (value $40 – $60; see book list below)
  • Ten guest passes for monthly programs or Barbary Coast Trail Walks (value up to $200)
  • Complimentary admission and VIP seating for two at the Annual Awards Luncheon (value of $400)
  • Invitations to exclusive receptions and special events
  • Recognition in Panorama

* Dual memberships are only available for two named members who reside at the same address, regardless of relationship. Member signing up is considered head of household.



Enhanced Membership Level Gifts

Members who join or renew at the Bronze Circle level  ($150) may choose from one of the following books as a thank-you gift. Members who join or renew at the Silver Circle or Gold Circle level may choose two of the following books.

Frisco - A Novel
Frisco: A Novel

Daniel Bacon’s debut novel is a tale of romance, betrayal, and redemption set against the backdrop of the labor strife of the San Francisco of 1934 (Softcover, 2014).


Walking San Francisco - Barbary Coast Trail
Walking San Francisco on the Barbary Coast Trail®

Daniel Bacon’s definitive guide to the trail through the historic heart of San Francisco (2nd Edition, 2002).


California Style: The Joe Koret Story

California Style: The Joe Koret Story 

Reed Bunzel’s story of Joe Koret, who overcame a childhood of poverty and hunger in New York City to found the iconic Koret of California after a move to San Francisco. Never forgetting his humble origins, he dedicated his fortune to helping the downtrodden in the Bay Area and Israel. (Hardcover, 2018).



Members who join or renew at the Silver Circle ($500) or Gold Circle ($1,500) level may choose may choose from among the following books as well as those listed above.

North Beach
North Beach: The Italian Heart of San Francisco

Historian Richard Dillon’s lively history of “a self-sufficient mile-square Italian village” in the middle of the city of San Francisco. Illustrated by previously unpublished photographs by J. B. Monaco, the “dean of North Beach Photographers,” from the 1880s to the 1930s (Hardcover, 1985, out of print).


TRhe San Francisco Civic Center
The San Francisco Civic Center: A History of the Design, Controversies, and Realization of a City Beautiful Masterpiece

In The San Francisco Civic Center, James Haas tells the complete story of San Francisco’s Civic Center and how it became one of the most complete developments envisioned by any American city. Originally planned and designed by John Galen Howard in 1912, the San Francisco Civic Center is considered in both design and materials one of the finest achievements of the American reformist City Beautiful movement, an urban design movement that began more than a century ago. (Hardcover, 2019).


Nothing Seemed Impossible: William C. Ralston and Early San Francisco
Nothing Seemed Impossible: William C. Ralston and Early San Francisco

David Lavender’s biography of William Ralston, founder of the Palace Hotel and the Bank of California, as intertwined with the story of San Francisco immediately after the Gold Rush. (Hardcover, 1975/1981, out of print).

Note: Due to age and past storage conditions, the paper jacket is very delicate and may have tears and other cosmetic issues.


Mystical San Francisco
Mystical San Francisco

See man-made beauty and the wonders of nature intersect in brilliant photographs by award-winning San Francisco Chronicle photographer Frederic Larson, illuminated by the prose of Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Herb Caen. (Hardcover, 2005).


Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: San Francisco
Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: San Francisco

This profusely-illustrated volume features the culinary influences and traditions of San Francisco’s distinctive cuisine. Includes offers forty-five recipes for appetizers, main dishes, vegetable dishes, and desserts. (Hardcover, 2004). Each copy is signed by Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams (1915-2015).


When the Water Came Up to Montgomery Street: San Francisco During the Gold Rush
When the Water Came Up to Montgomery Street: San Francisco During the Gold Rush

SFHS Founder and President Emeritus Charles A. Fracchia’s latest book telling the story of San Francisco from 1848 through 1859 (Hardcover, 2009).


The San Francisco Century
The San Francisco Century

San Francisco Chronicle reporter and columnist Carl Nolte’s fascinating examination of the San Francisco story from the 1906 Earthquake to the first years of the Twenty-First Century (Hardcover, 2005).



Please allow 14 days for delivery of thank-you gifts, as they are sent by Media Mail and are generally shipped once a week. Some books are available in limited quantities. Specific gifts are subject to change. We will contact you if a substitution is necessary.

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