Fort Mason
Encyclopedia
Fort Mason, once known as San Francisco Port of Embarkation, US Army, in San Francisco, California
, is a former United States Army
post located in the northern Marina District
, alongside San Francisco Bay
. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense site and subsequently as a military port facility. During World War II
, it handled most of the cargo for the Pacific campaign.
Today it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
and the site of several cultural facilities. It is a National Historic Landmark District with over 49 buildings of historic significance, spread over 1200 acres (485.6 ha).
lies to the west of Fort Mason, while Aquatic Park
is to the east.
The Center has 23 venues providing flexible meeting and conference rooms, theaters, and exhibit halls used by groups from five to 20,000. The venues can easily be transformed for events of every type and interest imaginable, including; wine tastings, corporate events, pop up stores, product launches, weddings. conferences, memorials and birthday parties.
Every year Fort Mason Center hosts thousands of public events meeting the needs of nonprofit organizations, government and the business sector. Many cities have a symphony, an opera, museums and a zoo, but only San Francisco has Fort Mason Center, where the magnificent diversity of the Bay Area is so well represented.
The Fort Mason Center campus also serves as home to resident nonprofit organizations which provide a stable source of public programs. Current resident organizations include: BATS Improv, Blue Bear School of Music, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, The Long Now Museum & Gallery, Magic Theatre, California Lawyers for the Arts, Greens Restaurant, The Mexican Museum, City College of San Francisco Art Campus, Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company, On the Commons, Environmental Traveling Companions, Readers Book Store and Cafe, World Arts West, San Francisco Children’s Art Center, Young Performers Theatre and the Museo ItaloAmericano.
prompted the construction of a set of coastal defense batteries located inside the Golden Gate
. Initially these defenses were built as temporary wartime structures rather than permanent fortifications and one of these was constructed in 1864 at Point San Jose, as the location of Upper Fort Mason was then known. A breast-high wall of brick and mounts for six 10 inches (254 mm) Rodman cannons
and six 42-pounder guns were built on the site. Excavation in the early 1980s uncovered the well-preserved remains of the western-half of the temporary battery, and it has now been restored to its condition during the Civil War.
The fort was named Fort Mason in 1882, after Richard Barnes Mason
, a former military governor of California.
President Grover Cleveland
established the Endicott Board
in 1885 for the purpose of modernizing the nation's coastal fortifications. Chaired by Secretary of War
William Endicott
, the board recommended new defenses at 22 U.S. seaports, deeming San Francisco Harbor second only to that of New York
in strategic importance. As a result, an extensive series of forts, batteries, and guns were built on the harbor, including Fort Mason.
The pier
s and sheds of Lower Fort Mason were originally built from 1912 to warehouse army supplies and provide docking space for army transport ships. By this time, the US Army began to build new bases in Hawaii
, the Philippines
, and various other Pacific islands. Most of the material for those bases was shipped through San Francisco. By 1915, the three piers together with their associated warehouse had been a completed, and a railroad
tunnel
driven under Upper Fort Mason to connect with the railroad network along the Embarcadero.
With these new facilities, Fort Mason was transformed from a harbor defense post into a logistical and transport hub for American military operations in the Pacific. The Army ferry General Coxe
provided scheduled transportation from Fort Mason to the processing center at Fort McDowell on Angel Island up to eight times per day during the war.
During World War II, Fort Mason became the headquarters of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation, controlling a network of shipping facilities that spread across the Bay Area. Over the years of the war, 1,647,174 passengers and 23,589,472 measured tons moved from the port into the Pacific. This total represents two-thirds of all troops sent into the Pacific and more than one-half of all Army cargo moved through West Coast ports. The highest passenger count was logged in August 1945 when 93,986 outbound passengers were loaded.
The Korean War
in the 1950s also kept the post busy, and in 1955 the San Francisco Port of Embarkation was renamed the U.S. Army Transportation Terminal Command Pacific. The embarkation operations continued through the early sixties, in 1965 the headquarters of the US Army Transportation Terminal Command were transferred to the Oakland Army Terminal
, and most of Fort Mason's embarkation facilities fell into disuse. The Army continues to use and maintain the old officer housing. The National Park Service
took over the administration of the site in the 1970s as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area In 1976 lower Fort Mason became the Fort Mason Center, a non profit organization that provides a destination for programs, events and organizations that support and reflect the evolving cultural fabric of San Francisco and the Bay Area. (GGNRA).
Some of the old officer housing remains in use by the Army, while some is rented to the public. One of the larger buildings has been converted into a youth hostel
, operated by Hostelling International
USA.
As a whole, the former post is now a mix of parks and gardens and late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings that are still in use. A path follows the harbor edge, rising along the headland and offering views north past Alcatraz
and west to the Golden Gate Bridge
.
A portion of the site, known as the Fort Mason Center, is devoted to events, programs and organizations that support and reflect the evolving cultural fabric of San Francisco. Resident organizations on site include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Artists Gallery, Blue Bear School of Music
, City College of San Francisco
Art Campus, Long Now Museum and Gallery, Greens restaurant, Readers Cafe and Bookstore Library
, Magic Theatre
, BATS Improv
, San Francisco Children's Art Center, and Museo ItaloAmericano
. The Outdoor Exploratorium is located on the Fort Mason Center campus as well as along the northern path on Upper Fort Mason.
Fort Mason Center hosts 15,000 events per year and more than 1.8 million visitors in 2010. Events range from classes to help students prepare for SSAT
exams, the 2008 YouTube Live
, and a Twitter gathering in April 2010.
The National Park Service headquarters for both the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
are located in Fort Mason.
, westward alongside the San Francisco Maritime Museum and Aquatic Park, and then through the existing, but disused, San Francisco Belt Railroad
tunnel under Upper Fort Mason.
A technical feasibility study, under the aegis of the National Park Service and San Francisco Municipal Railway
, was completed in December 2004. An Environmental Impact Statement
for the extension, involving the San Francisco Municipal Railway, National Park Service and Federal Transit Administration
, commenced in May 2006. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was completed in March 2011 and is under review. The review is scheduled for completion by December 2011.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, is a former United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
post located in the northern Marina District
Marina District, San Francisco, California
The Marina District is a neighborhood located in San Francisco, California. The neighborhood sits on the site of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, staged after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to celebrate the reemergence of the city...
, alongside San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense site and subsequently as a military port facility. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it handled most of the cargo for the Pacific campaign.
Today it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
and the site of several cultural facilities. It is a National Historic Landmark District with over 49 buildings of historic significance, spread over 1200 acres (485.6 ha).
Geography
Fort Mason can be split into two distinct areas. The upper area, sometimes called Fort Mason, is situated on a headland and was the site of the original coastal fortifications. The lower area, Fort Mason Center , is situated close to water level to the west of Upper Fort Mason, and is the site of the former military port, with its piers and warehouses. The Marina GreenMarina Green
The Marina Green in San Francisco, California, is a expanse of grass between Fort Mason and the Presidio. It is adjacent to San Francisco Bay, and this location provides good views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz Island, and parts of Marin County. Houses built mostly in the 1920s...
lies to the west of Fort Mason, while Aquatic Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California, USA. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility...
is to the east.
Fort Mason Center
Fort Mason Center, a destination for thought provoking programs, events and organizations, supports and reflects the evolving cultural fabric of the Bay Area. The 13 acre waterfront campus of historic buildings and piers served as a port of embarkation for American military troops headed to the Pacific. Today at Fort Mason Center people embark on voyages of thought, inquiry, and imagination that contribute to the vitality and diversity that make San Francisco one of the most exciting cities in the world.The Center has 23 venues providing flexible meeting and conference rooms, theaters, and exhibit halls used by groups from five to 20,000. The venues can easily be transformed for events of every type and interest imaginable, including; wine tastings, corporate events, pop up stores, product launches, weddings. conferences, memorials and birthday parties.
Every year Fort Mason Center hosts thousands of public events meeting the needs of nonprofit organizations, government and the business sector. Many cities have a symphony, an opera, museums and a zoo, but only San Francisco has Fort Mason Center, where the magnificent diversity of the Bay Area is so well represented.
The Fort Mason Center campus also serves as home to resident nonprofit organizations which provide a stable source of public programs. Current resident organizations include: BATS Improv, Blue Bear School of Music, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, The Long Now Museum & Gallery, Magic Theatre, California Lawyers for the Arts, Greens Restaurant, The Mexican Museum, City College of San Francisco Art Campus, Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company, On the Commons, Environmental Traveling Companions, Readers Book Store and Cafe, World Arts West, San Francisco Children’s Art Center, Young Performers Theatre and the Museo ItaloAmericano.
History
The Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
prompted the construction of a set of coastal defense batteries located inside the Golden Gate
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
. Initially these defenses were built as temporary wartime structures rather than permanent fortifications and one of these was constructed in 1864 at Point San Jose, as the location of Upper Fort Mason was then known. A breast-high wall of brick and mounts for six 10 inches (254 mm) Rodman cannons
Rodman gun
Rodman gun refers to a series of American Civil War-era columbiads designed by Union artilleryman Thomas Jackson Rodman . The guns were designed to fire both shot and shell. These heavy guns were intended to be mounted in seacoast fortifications. They were built in 8-inch, 10-inch, 13-inch,...
and six 42-pounder guns were built on the site. Excavation in the early 1980s uncovered the well-preserved remains of the western-half of the temporary battery, and it has now been restored to its condition during the Civil War.
The fort was named Fort Mason in 1882, after Richard Barnes Mason
Richard Barnes Mason
Richard Barnes Mason was a career general officer in the United States Army and the fifth military governor of California before it became a U.S. state.-Early life:...
, a former military governor of California.
President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
established the Endicott Board
Endicott Board
Several boards have been appointed by US presidents or Congress to evaluate the US defensive fortifications, primarily coastal defenses near strategically important harbors on the US shores, its territories, and its protectorates.-Endicott Board:...
in 1885 for the purpose of modernizing the nation's coastal fortifications. Chaired by Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
William Endicott
William Crowninshield Endicott
William Crowninshield Endicott was an American politician and Secretary of War in the Administration of President Grover Cleveland.-Life and work:...
, the board recommended new defenses at 22 U.S. seaports, deeming San Francisco Harbor second only to that of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in strategic importance. As a result, an extensive series of forts, batteries, and guns were built on the harbor, including Fort Mason.
The pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
s and sheds of Lower Fort Mason were originally built from 1912 to warehouse army supplies and provide docking space for army transport ships. By this time, the US Army began to build new bases in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and various other Pacific islands. Most of the material for those bases was shipped through San Francisco. By 1915, the three piers together with their associated warehouse had been a completed, and a railroad
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
driven under Upper Fort Mason to connect with the railroad network along the Embarcadero.
With these new facilities, Fort Mason was transformed from a harbor defense post into a logistical and transport hub for American military operations in the Pacific. The Army ferry General Coxe
General Frank M. Coxe (ship)
The General Frank M. Coxe is a steam ferry which was built for the United States Army to provide transportation services among several military facilities which ring California's San Francisco Bay....
provided scheduled transportation from Fort Mason to the processing center at Fort McDowell on Angel Island up to eight times per day during the war.
The Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the 1950s also kept the post busy, and in 1955 the San Francisco Port of Embarkation was renamed the U.S. Army Transportation Terminal Command Pacific. The embarkation operations continued through the early sixties, in 1965 the headquarters of the US Army Transportation Terminal Command were transferred to the Oakland Army Terminal
Oakland Army Base
The Oakland Army Base, also known as the Oakland Army Terminal, was a former United States Army base in the San Francisco Bay Area of California...
, and most of Fort Mason's embarkation facilities fell into disuse. The Army continues to use and maintain the old officer housing. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
took over the administration of the site in the 1970s as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area In 1976 lower Fort Mason became the Fort Mason Center, a non profit organization that provides a destination for programs, events and organizations that support and reflect the evolving cultural fabric of San Francisco and the Bay Area. (GGNRA).
Current uses
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
, operated by Hostelling International
Hostelling International
Hostelling International, formerly known as International Youth Hostel Federation , is the federation of more than 90 national youth hostel associations in more than 80 countries who have over 4,500 affiliated hostels around the world....
USA.
As a whole, the former post is now a mix of parks and gardens and late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings that are still in use. A path follows the harbor edge, rising along the headland and offering views north past Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
and west to the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
.
A portion of the site, known as the Fort Mason Center, is devoted to events, programs and organizations that support and reflect the evolving cultural fabric of San Francisco. Resident organizations on site include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
Artists Gallery, Blue Bear School of Music
Blue Bear School of Music
Blue Bear School of Music is a non-profit organization founded in San Francisco, California in 1971. Blue Bear has trained over 20,000 students in voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, bass, drums, horns, songwriting, bands and ensembles. The School currently has more than 1,700 members...
, City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco, or CCSF, is a two-year community college in San Francisco, California. The Ocean Avenue campus, in the Ingleside neighborhood, is the college's primary location...
Art Campus, Long Now Museum and Gallery, Greens restaurant, Readers Cafe and Bookstore Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
, Magic Theatre
Magic Theatre
The Magic Theatre is a theatre company founded in 1967, presently based at the historic Fort Mason Center on San Francisco's northern waterfront...
, BATS Improv
BATS Improv
BATS Improv is a non-profit improvisational theatre company in San Francisco. Founded in 1986, their unique style of acting-based improvisational theatre is well-known in improv circles around the world...
, San Francisco Children's Art Center, and Museo ItaloAmericano
Museo ItaloAmericano
Museo ItaloAmericano, also known as the Italian American Museum, is a museum in San Francisco, California, the only to focus solely on Italian and Italian-American art and culture. The nonprofit museum was founded in 1978 and is located within the Fort Mason Center...
. The Outdoor Exploratorium is located on the Fort Mason Center campus as well as along the northern path on Upper Fort Mason.
Fort Mason Center hosts 15,000 events per year and more than 1.8 million visitors in 2010. Events range from classes to help students prepare for SSAT
SSAT
SSAT is an abbreviation for:*Samsung Aptitude Test*Secondary School Admission Test*Specialist Schools and Academies Trust*Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test*Social Security Appeals Tribunal...
exams, the 2008 YouTube Live
YouTube Live
YouTube Live was a 2008 event streamed live on the Internet from San Francisco and Tokyo. It was hosted by a variety of YouTube celebrities, including The Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am, Tom Dickson of Will It Blend, Michael Buckley, The Happy Tree Friends, Fred, Smosh, Esmée Denters and singer...
, and a Twitter gathering in April 2010.
The National Park Service headquarters for both the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California, USA. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility...
are located in Fort Mason.
Future developments
A proposal exists to extend the F Market & Wharves historic streetcar line to a terminal at Lower Fort Mason. This extension would run from the vicinity of the existing terminal near Fisherman's WharfFisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street...
, westward alongside the San Francisco Maritime Museum and Aquatic Park, and then through the existing, but disused, San Francisco Belt Railroad
San Francisco Belt Railroad
The San Francisco Belt Railroad was a short-line railroad along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. It began as the State Belt Railroad in 1889, and was renamed when the city bought the Port of San Francisco in 1969...
tunnel under Upper Fort Mason.
A technical feasibility study, under the aegis of the National Park Service and San Francisco Municipal Railway
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
, was completed in December 2004. An Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
for the extension, involving the San Francisco Municipal Railway, National Park Service and Federal Transit Administration
Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administrations within the DOT...
, commenced in May 2006. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was completed in March 2011 and is under review. The review is scheduled for completion by December 2011.