Fort Mason Historic District

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.