{"nrhp_refnum":"72000109","name":"Fort Mason Historic District","other_names":["Black Point","Bateria San Jose","Punta Medanos"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Portion of Fort Mason N and E of Franklin St. and McArthur Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Francisco","county":"San Francisco","state":"CA","lat":37.80686593850004,"lon":-122.42665389722838,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-04-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district of about 8.22 acres at the northeast corner of Fort Mason in San Francisco, California, containing four mid-19th-century houses converted to Army quarters, plus the sites of the Fremont House and Bateria San Jose.","why_significant":"The area figures in Western American military history and was earlier a Spanish fortified post. Its buildings date from the 1850s, are among the oldest in San Francisco, and housed people important to city and national history. The hilltop setting with terraced gardens has long served as open space with access to San Francisco Bay.","narrative":"At the northeast corner of Fort Mason in San Francisco, a group of four houses from the 1850s sits on a lawn above San Francisco Bay and Aquatic Park. Built as private residences, they became Army quarters in 1863 during the Civil War. One, now McDowell Hall, was built in 1855 for Joseph Brooks and served as the official residence of the Commanding General of the Western Army from 1866 to 1943. Another is believed to be the house where Senator David Broderick died after his 1859 duel. The district also includes the sites of the Fremont House, razed for gun emplacements, and Bateria San Jose, a Spanish battery fortified in 1797 on the point then called Punta Medanos and later Black Point. General Irvin McDowell laid out the terraced gardens and walks that remain. The area is listed for its military history, early buildings, notable residents and bayside setting.","period_of_significance":"1797, 1850-59","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Modified Victorian; Gothic Revival details","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and altered; occupied, with gardens not well maintained in recent years. The buildings were in use as military quarters and an officers' club.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.380199-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/72000109.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"79000530","name":"Fort Mason Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/fort-mason-historic-district-boundary-increase-79000530/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861112","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-francisco/fort-mason-historic-district-72000109/"}