Grabhorn Institute
Encyclopedia
The Grabhorn Institute is a nonprofit organization
formed in October 2000 for the purpose of preserving and continuing the use of one of the last integrated type foundry
, letterpress printing, and bookbinding
facilities in the fine press
tradition, and operating it as a living museum and educational and cultural center.
It is named in honor of the Grabhorn brothers, Edwin and Robert, who established their press in San Francisco in 1920. The Grabhorn Press was "one of the foremost producers of finely printed books in twentieth-century America."
The Grabhorn Institute was founded by Andrew Hoyem
when Arion Press
(the successor to the Grabhorn Press) and the type foundry M & H Type faced eviction from their location in San Francisco in 2000, and confronted the logistical and financial problem of moving over 140 tons of metal type plus heavy iron and steel printing presses and typecasting and bookbinding equipment to a suitable new facility. The press and foundry comprised a complete, traditional bookmaking facility including the last large-scale hot metal
type foundry in the country.
Support raised by the Grabhorn Institute enabled the press and foundry to relocate to the Presidio of San Francisco
as a cultural tenant in April 2001. In recognition of its work to preserve the typecasting and letterpress printing operation, the Grabhorn Institute was designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
as part of "the nation's irreplaceable historical and cultural legacy" under its Save America's Treasures
program.http://www.arionpress.com/grabhorn.htm
The Grabhorn Institute activities include exhibits and lectures related to fine printing and book arts, and an apprenticeship
program to preserve the crafts of letterpress printing, bookbinding, and type casting. It also conducts tours of the historic production facility, which includes the M & H Type foundry, begun in 1915 with Monotype
typecasting machines that came to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, as well as twelve letterpress printing presses, a full hand book bindery
, and a very large collection of rare typefaces passed down from noted San Francisco printers John Henry Nash and the brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn.
According to Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, "The collaboration among Arion Press, M & H Type, and the Grabhorn Institute is a model for preserving historic manufacturing equipment, keeping alive disappearing crafts, and printing beautiful artifacts - all in one enterprise."
The Grabhorn Institute received a California Heritage Council Award in 2002 for "preservation of the last fully functioning type foundry and integrated letterpress printing facility."http://www.californiaheritagecouncil.org/chcpastawards.html
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
formed in October 2000 for the purpose of preserving and continuing the use of one of the last integrated type foundry
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
, letterpress printing, and bookbinding
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
facilities in the fine press
Fine press
Fine press printing and publishing comprises historical and contemporary printers and publishers publishing books and other printed matter of exceptional intrinsic quality and artistic taste, including both commercial and private presses. Their dedication to fine printing distinguishes them from...
tradition, and operating it as a living museum and educational and cultural center.
It is named in honor of the Grabhorn brothers, Edwin and Robert, who established their press in San Francisco in 1920. The Grabhorn Press was "one of the foremost producers of finely printed books in twentieth-century America."
The Grabhorn Institute was founded by Andrew Hoyem
Andrew Hoyem
Andrew Hoyem is a typographer, letterpress printer, publisher, poet, and preservationist. He is the founder and director of Arion Press in San Francisco, which "is considered the nation's leading publisher of fine-press books," according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune...
when Arion Press
Arion Press
The Arion Press "is considered the nation's leading publisher of fine-press books," according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Founded in San Francisco in 1974, it has published 80-plus limited-edition books, most printed by letterpress, often illustrated with original prints by notable...
(the successor to the Grabhorn Press) and the type foundry M & H Type faced eviction from their location in San Francisco in 2000, and confronted the logistical and financial problem of moving over 140 tons of metal type plus heavy iron and steel printing presses and typecasting and bookbinding equipment to a suitable new facility. The press and foundry comprised a complete, traditional bookmaking facility including the last large-scale hot metal
Hot metal
Hot metal may refer to:*Hot Metal, a British television comedy series set in a newspaper office*Hot metal typesetting*Pig iron in a liquid state*HoTMetaL, a pioneering HTML editor for web pages...
type foundry in the country.
Support raised by the Grabhorn Institute enabled the press and foundry to relocate to the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
as a cultural tenant in April 2001. In recognition of its work to preserve the typecasting and letterpress printing operation, the Grabhorn Institute was designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
as part of "the nation's irreplaceable historical and cultural legacy" under its Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures is a United States Federal initiative to preserve and protect American historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public-private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation...
program.http://www.arionpress.com/grabhorn.htm
The Grabhorn Institute activities include exhibits and lectures related to fine printing and book arts, and an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
program to preserve the crafts of letterpress printing, bookbinding, and type casting. It also conducts tours of the historic production facility, which includes the M & H Type foundry, begun in 1915 with Monotype
Monotype Corporation
Monotype Imaging Holdings is a Delaware corporation based in Woburn, Massachusetts and specializing in typesetting and typeface design as well as text and imaging solutions for use with consumer electronics devices. Monotype Imaging Holdings is the owner of Monotype Imaging Inc., Linotype,...
typecasting machines that came to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, as well as twelve letterpress printing presses, a full hand book bindery
Bindery
Bindery refers to a studio, workshop or factory where sheets of paper are fastened together to make books, but also where gold and other decorative elements are added to the exterior of books, where boxes or slipcases for books are made and where the restoration of books is carried out.-Overview:A...
, and a very large collection of rare typefaces passed down from noted San Francisco printers John Henry Nash and the brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn.
According to Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, "The collaboration among Arion Press, M & H Type, and the Grabhorn Institute is a model for preserving historic manufacturing equipment, keeping alive disappearing crafts, and printing beautiful artifacts - all in one enterprise."
The Grabhorn Institute received a California Heritage Council Award in 2002 for "preservation of the last fully functioning type foundry and integrated letterpress printing facility."http://www.californiaheritagecouncil.org/chcpastawards.html