In recent months, those looking to pitch a tent or unroll a sleeping bag in San Francisco have found a primo location at Fifth and Mission streets.

At least one tent was sitting at the top of the stairs of the venerated Old Mint on Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

It's not hard to understand why. Single or double, the price of overnight lodging is the same — free.

Plus, there's the ambiance. While you relax after a hard day on the street, you can enjoy the towering Doric columns and the intricate detailing of the Classic Revival stonework.

There's not much privacy, but who cares? You're basically sleeping in the foyer of your own Greek temple.

If trash piles up, just toss it over the side. Someone will pick it up. Eventually.

If nature calls, well, you don't have far to go to relieve yourself. And no one does.

City government is responsible for keeping the property clean and blight-free, but if the above photos are any indication, the people making the mess have been winning the battle.

John Updike, director of property at the Department of Real Estate, said the building is in a transitional period, as the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, which had occupied the mint, is still moving out after being evicted by the city. Among the building-related problems that the department will address is access to the grounds.

Updike also said the city Department of Public Works is pitching in with cleaning crews.

DPW has been ramping up cleanup efforts in the city's SOMA neighborhood as part of its Eco Blitz program, according to department spokeswoman Rachel Gordon. It's also reaching out to businesses and property owners to clean sidewalks, remove urine smells and scrub away graffiti.

On Wednesday, a DPW cleanup crew was working Fifth Street in front of the mint.

Will greater vigilance keep campers away from the historic building, which survived the 1906 earthquake?

Gordon notes that as long as it remains unused and locked up, the Old Mint will continue to attract people who have no better place to spend the night.