Aquatic Park Historic District

Aquatic Park is a waterfront recreation complex in San Francisco, built on the site of Black Point Cove, which was partly filled by industry and earthquake debris in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Work funded by the Works Progress Administration produced a new beach, a four-story oval bathhouse designed by William Mooser Sr. and Jr., stadia, a curved municipal pier, a concessions stand, restrooms, a granite-block seawall and two speaker towers. Completed in 1939, the group follows the Streamlined Moderne style, with porthole windows, ship-like railings and rounded walls recalling an ocean liner. Inside the bathhouse are murals, mosaics and sculpture by Hilaire Hiler, Sargent Johnson, Beniamino Bufano and others. The park was listed for its architectural and landscape design, its integrity, and its 1930s federal art. It also served as headquarters for anti-aircraft defense of the Pacific coast states during World War II. The bathhouse now houses a maritime museum.