National Register of Historic Places
Presidio
Also designated a National Historic Landmark.
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
The record
- Listed
- October 15, 1966
- Type
- Historic district
- Address
- Northern tip of San Francisco Peninsula on U.S. 101 and I-480, San Francisco
- County
- San Francisco
- State
- California
- Period of significance
- 1750 to 1974
- Contributing resources
- 477 buildings, 166 structures, 11 sites, 8 objects
- Coordinates
- 37.79932, -122.46188
- Reference number
- 66000232
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
The outline is the area recorded for this listing in National Park Service map data, drawn approximately.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
The story
Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com
The Presidio is a historic district on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Its buildings, designed by the United States Army, range from Spanish Colonial Revival and Classical styles to Greek temple, Art Deco and Georgian Revival forms.
Why it's listed
It was listed in the National Register in 1966 under criteria A, C and D and criteria consideration G, with national-level significance in military history, exploration and settlement, Hispanic ethnic heritage and historic non-aboriginal archeology. Its significance spans 1776 to 1945, taking in the 1776 founding and 1941 entry into World War II.
Physical character
Many buildings have stucco walls under red or mission-tile roofs, Spanish Colonial Revival in style; others are reinforced concrete, red brick or wood frame, sided in weatherboard or corrugated iron, on stone, granite or concrete foundations. The district includes Fort Point, Main Parade Ground, Crissy Field, Letterman Army Hospital and San Francisco National Cemetery.
Historical context
Mexico took control of the Presidio in 1822, moved headquarters to Sonoma in 1835, and U.S. troops arrived in 1847 after Mexico's loss of California. The Golden Gate Bridge Authority began the bridge in 1933, and the nomination names Joseph B. Strauss as engineer. During World War II the Army ran a Military Intelligence School from November 1941, and in 1951 the Presidio hosted the ANZUS Pact and Joint Security Pact signings.