Historic Landmarks of San Francisco

San Francisco grew from three settlements: the Mission, the Presidio, and the village of Yerba Buena. Chronologically, the Presidio came second, being dedicated September 16, 1776, by Jose Joaquin Moraga. Juan Bautista de Anza, the City's founder, had camped near Mountain Lake earlier that year. Moraga established the first presidio buildings in the area of the present parade ground. Under the Spaniards and Mexicans the Presidio was little more than a rough frontier outpost. George Vancouver, visiting in 1792, found a small collection of buildings with dirt floors, tule roofs, and glassless windows, garrisoned by only 35 soldiers. The fort was abandoned by 1835 and was in ruins five years later. The US Army took over in 1846, during the Mexican War.

Located in the northwest part of the City, the Presidio is bounded by Lyon Street and the Marina District on the east, Pacific Avenue and the Richmond District on the south, the Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Golden Gate on the north. It remains a US army post, active but quiescent and open to the public. The Presidio's 1400 acres contain some 1700 buildings, many of historical and architectural note. Among these are Fort Point National Historic Site, the Officer's Club, incorporating the adobe walls of the 1791 Commandante's Headquarters and restored in 1933 by the Civil Works Administration, and the 1857 Old Station Hospital, now an excellent Army museum. During the 1870s and 1880s the military planted many trees within the Presidio, changing it from a barren, windswept headland to a green enclave within the City, little known even to residents of San Francisco and with outstanding park potential.

A California State historical plaque, mounted on a boulder, stands at the southwest corner of Lincoln and Funston, inside the Presidio. It was dedicated September 18, 1965, by the California State Park Commission, the California Historical Society, and the US Army. Also of interest, and located around the flagpole at the upper end of the nearby parade ground, are a 1928 DAR plaque marking the northwest corner of the original Spanish Presidio and a 1963 marker proclaiming the San Francisco Presidio a Registered National Historic Landmark.

Of all San Francisco landmarks, the Presidio is perhaps the most changed since 1976. No longer an Army base, it is now a self-sustaining unit of the National Park System. The outstanding potential mentioned above has been fully realized and the Presidio is now a priceless urban park, treasured by residents and visitors alike.