Fort Mason Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: Bateria San Jose; Punta Medanos; Battery Yerba Buena; Point San
Why it's listed
Fort Mason occupies a point of land on San Francisco's northern waterfront, once a sand-dune headland the Spanish called Punta Medanos. Spanish gunners placed a battery there in 1797, and squatters, including John Charles Fremont, built houses on the ridge in the 1850s. The Army took the site over during the Civil War and built batteries, officers' quarters, a hospital and support buildings. Later additions include Endicott-era Battery Burnham, a 1889 mine casemate, and a 1911 searchlight shelter. After 1908 the post became the San Francisco Port of Embarkation, with piers and concrete warehouses designed by Rankin, Kellogg, and Crane in Mission Revival style. The post also served as a refugee camp and relief headquarters after the 1906 earthquake. Roughly fifty-five of about eighty structures contribute to a district that traces a century of Army construction and the supply role of the port.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the reservation as 100 years of army architecture and military history, from Spanish-era earthworks and Civil War batteries to the San Francisco Port of Embarkation. About fifty-five of the roughly eighty structures contribute to the historic scene. Reviewers noted state and national significance in military history, architecture and historic archeology.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79000530, listed April 23, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bounded by Van Ness Ave., Bay and Laguna Sts., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | April 23, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000530 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Rankin, Kellogg, and Crane of Philadelphia (planned the Port of Embarkation structures) |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival elements, Victorian-period variations, and Endicott-period battery works |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Military, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Largely occupied and in good condition; some World War II temporary structures are dilapidated and slated for removal. Many port buildings are being adapted to new uses, and the park headquarters is in the former hospital complex. |
| Acreage | 112 |
| Coordinates | 37.80674, -122.42878 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79000530.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.