1915

Mackenzie & Harris founded with equipment from the Panama Pacific International Exposition.

1919

Grabhorn Press founded by Edwin and Robert Grabhorn.

1974

Arion Press founded by Andrew Hoyem, Grabhorn partner.

October 1999

Arion Press and M & H Type learn of the 2000 termination of their lease at 460 Bryant Street in the dot.com real estate boom.

November 1999

Arion requests a lease extension to March 2001, to finish the printing of the large folio Bible. Group is formed to save and relocate the historic printing facility, with support of State Librarian and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

May 2000

Smithsonian Institution-led Cultural Planning Team for the Presidio Trust recommends Arion Press and M & H Type as a cultural tenant at the Presidio.

August 2000

Presidio offers 14,000 square feet in an industrial building.

October 2000

Grabhorn Institute receives its 501(c)(3) designation from IRS; National Trust for Historic Preservation designates the bookmaking facility an “irreplaceable cultural treasure”.

January 2001

PBS documentary on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer is shown featuring the Arion Press and M & H Type production facility.

February-April 2001

Move from Bryant Street to the Presidio.

April 24, 2001

Opening celebration of expanded Presidio facility.

August 2001

Apprenticeships in typecasting and bookbinding begin.

September 2001

Grants for planning and preservation are received from the James Irvine Foundation, the National Park Service, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Program of tours and exhibitions for visitors begins.

October 2001

Evening talks and readings in the gallery begin.

May 2002

Planning for programs with a grant from the Irvine Foundation.

July 2002

The California Heritage Council awards the Grabhorn Institute a Certificate of Recognition for its preservation work.

Summer 2002

Gallery is outfitted and opened to the public every weekday.

March 2003

Gift of collection of books of the Grabhorn Press.

Fall 2003

Expanded series of talks, readings, and exhibitions begins.

Fall 2004, 2005

College level course with partner San Francisco Art Institute.

Fall 2006

Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fall 2006-2008

Program partnerships with Book Club of California, English-Speaking Union, PEN, San Francisco Center for the Book, and Irish Consulate.

December 2007

Consolidation of Grabhorn Institute, Arion Press, and M & H Type under the ownership of the Grabhorn Institute.