San Francisco Port of Embarkation, US Army

Fort Mason's lower port area and headquarters building in San Francisco formed the core of the U.S. Army's Pacific shipping operation. The headquarters began in 1902 as a small brick post hospital and was later enlarged with additions to hold depot and port offices. Between 1909 and 1912 the army built a seawall, piers, wharves and storehouses below the fort, designed by Rankin, Kellogg, and Crane in Spanish Mission Revival style, with buff walls and red tile roofs. The first transport, Sherman, docked in January 1912. Public Works Administration funds paid for pier extensions, sheds, repair shops and other improvements in the 1930s. During World War II the port oversaw operations at other Bay Area installations and sent about 1,745,000 personnel overseas, along with more than 25 million measurement tons of cargo. It served as the primary port for the Central, South and Southwest Pacific. Today the buildings are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and house community activities.