Fort Mason

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Historic wharves near Fort Mason

Fort Mason in San Francisco, California is a former U.S. Army base located at the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay. Aquatic Park is adjacent to the east and the Marina Green is adjacent to the west.

1 History
2 Current uses
3 Sociology
4 External links

[edit] History

In 1863, the Army created in San Francisco, California, the Post at Point San Jose as a part of its coastal defense network. Renamed Fort Mason in 1882, after Richard Barnes Mason, a former governor of California, Fort Mason served as an Army base for more than 100 years. During World War II, it was a major port of embarkation for troops and supplies destined for the Pacific theater. The Korean War in the 1950s also kept the base busy. However, by the 1960s, Fort Mason's embarkation responsibilities shifted to the Oakland Army Terminal, while the headquarters offices continued to function most of installation's other properties fell into disuse. The National Park Service took over the administration of the site in the 1970s as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The headquarters of the GGNRA are located in Fort Mason. A portion of the site, known as the Fort Mason Center, is devoted to nonprofit and cultural activities.

[edit] Current uses

Headquarters building in Fort Mason

Some of the old officer housing remains in use by the Army, while some is rented to the public, also one of the larger buildings has been converted into a youth hostel. As a whole the former base is now a mix of well-tended parks and gardens, and carefully maintained late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings. A path follows the harbor edge, rising along the headland and offering extensive views north past Alcatraz and east to the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Mason Center occupies 13 acres of waterfront, hosts three dozen nonprofit organizations, including three museums, six theaters, The Long Now and City College of San Francisco's Art Campus. More than 15,000 events take place at the Center each year and more than 1.5 million visit annually.

[edit] Sociology

Many of the houses on Fort Mason are now leased via the US Park Service. There has been a growing movement of twenty- and thirty-somethings who sometimes refer to this as Frat Mason for the inter-fort social scene and frequent house parties open to other residents and friends.