Sunday, May 29, 2011

The Vault

Where am I?
It looks a little like a prison or a reminder of a horror movie.
A long, deserted, and dimly-lit corridor.


Is this a cell or fortress to keep one in?


It is San Francisco's Old Mint which opened in 1854 to turn gold into coins. In less than 20 years, its operations outgrew the building and it moved into another location a few miles away.
To date, there are only three United States Mint buildings. One in Philadelphia, another in Denver, and the "new" Mint in San Francisco.

On this day, the Old Mint was open to the public and I heard eventually turned into a museum. The 2nd photo was actually a vault where the gold or coins were stored, but today like all the other vaults in the corridor, stand empty.


- Karen

9 comments:

lina said...

Wow! The "treasures" that were kept in this place.

Sure looks kinda eerie, if walking down the corridor alone, day or night. o.O

betchai said...

it looks like a little prison indeed with that long deserted hallway.

William K Wallace said...

When I first looked at the pictures I indeed thought it was a prison. I guess looking after the amount of gold they did the place would have had to be more secure than a prison!

eastcoastlife said...

It looks like a prison! I would like to visit this place and imagine how it looks like when it is filled with gold!

rainfield61 said...

It is like a prison. And people worked in a prison.

Sebab said...

Looks like a very secure place!

AVCr8teur said...

Lina: I agree, but I sure wouldn't want to be guarding this place alone.

Betchai: The vaults are in the basement so it could be more fortified.

William K Wallace: They were more concerned with someone breaking in than breaking out.

EastCoastLife: Yes, wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-ceiling filled with gold!

rainfield61: The guards won't have to worry about escaping gold.

Sailor: Don't want to be locked in there.

Emm said...

I really love the composition in all three of your photos! Nice shots.

I never knew there were only three mints in the whole of the States! That doesn't seem sufficient! I suppose they like to keep most money in circulation?

AVCr8teur said...

Emm: I think there has always been only 3 in the history of the U.S. It must keep them very busy, but I wonder how often they print money and make coins.