History of the Library

The Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture was made possible through the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society at Strybing Arboretum (formerly the Strybing Arboretum Society) and the generosity of private donors and foundations. It was presented to the City and County of San Francisco for public use and inspiration at a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, April 11, 1972.

The Library was named after Mrs. Henry P. Russell (Helen Crocker Russell), a keen amateur gardener and horticulturist who was for many years a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Society. A member of the pioneer Crocker family which is identified with cultural and educational development in San Francisco, Mrs. Russell generously supported and actively served on the boards of many organizations, both locally and nationally. For these reasons, it was felt that a library of books on gardening and horticulture, open to the general public, would be a most appropriate and useful memorial to a woman who contributed so much to San Francisco.

The Library building was designed by the firm of Yuill-Thornton, Warner and Levikow, to conform to the architectural concept of the adjacent San Francisco County Fair Building and to house both the Library and offices of the Society. The courtyard was designed by Landscape Architect Thomas D. Church, in honor of Gardner A. Dailey, preliminary planner of the Library.