Old Post Hospital

This is one of the oldest buildings in the National Park,  dating back to the Civil War. It opened as a general hospital in 1864. The octagonal extension on the right was built in 1897 to house a surgical wing and biological laboratory. After the Letterman General Hospital opened in 1898 it became a dentist’s office, outpatient clinic and dispensary. It housed the Presidio Army Museum  from the early 1970s to 2000, but is now preserved purely as an historic building.

The Presidio

The Presidio was founded by the Spanish as a military base in 1776, the same year as Mission Dolores was founded. It’s purpose was to protect the northern extremes of the Spanish Empire, which was subject to Russian and British interference.  In 1822 The Presidio came under Mexican control, then in  1846 the US seized control. It continued as a military base until 1994 when the area occupied by the Presidio became a National Park. In its 600 hectares (1480 acres) you can find over 500 historic buildings.

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Fort Point

At the time of the 1849 Gold Rush, California was still a recent addition to the territory of the USA and a top priority was to protect it from potential enemies. To protect the San Francisco area from naval attack, a massive brick and granite fortification was built on the point that overlooked the Golden Gate.  It was never attacked but by the time of the Civil War the development of rifled cannon capable of breaching brick walls had rendered it obsolete. Fort Point was decommissioned by 1900 but the massive walls still stand, now dwarfed by the Golden Gate Bridge that stands over it.

Montgomery Street Barracks

At the centre of the National Park is the parade ground bounded on one side by the Montgomery Street Barracks. By the late 19th century, much of the Wild West was being tamed so many of the frontier posts were no longer needed. The Montgomery Street Barracks were built between 1895 and 1897 to house troops relocated from frontier posts that had been closed.

Palace of Fine Arts from Baker Street

The Palace of Fine Arts stands on land that was originally part of the Presidio. It was built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. At the centre of the Palace is a classical Roman rotunda with curved colonnades in a lakeside setting. The complex includes a theatre and the Exploratorium which provides hands-on science exhibits.

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© Mike  Elsden 1981 - 2025

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