Fort Mason Center
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San Francisco Port of Embarkation, US Army
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Historic wharves at Lower Fort Mason, viewed from Upper Fort Mason
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| Location | San Francisco, California |
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| Coordinates | 37°48′28″N 122°25′47″W / 37.80778°N 122.42972°WCoordinates: 37°48′28″N 122°25′47″W / 37.80778°N 122.42972°W |
| Area | 21 acres (8.5 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| NRHP Reference # | 85002433 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 4, 1985 |
| Designated NHLD | February 4, 1985 |
Fort Mason, once known as San Francisco Port of Embarkation, US Army, in San Francisco, California, is a former United States Army post located in the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense site and subsequently as a military port facility. During World War II, it was the principal port for the Pacific campaign.
Today it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the site of several cultural facilities. It is a National Historic Landmark District with over 49 buildings of historic significance, spread over 1,200 acres (490 ha).
Fort Mason can be split into two distinct areas. The upper area, sometimes called Fort Mason, is situated on a headland and was the site of the original coastal fortifications. The lower area, Fort Mason Center, is situated close to water level to the west of Upper Fort Mason, and is the site of the former military port, with its piers and warehouses. The Marina Green lies to the west of Fort Mason, while Aquatic Park is to the east.
The nucleus of Fort Mason was a private property owned by John C. Frémont, the world-famous explorer of the US west, who also spearheaded the conquest of California from Mexico, and ran as the first presidential nominee of the extant Republican Party in 1856. As alleged in a 1968 federal lawsuit filed by his descendants over the 70-acre parcel then at issue, Frémont bought a 13.5-acre property in the mid-1850s for $42,000, and then improved it by about $40,000.
Appointed a Major General in the Union army at the start of the Civil War, Frémont's repeated serious conflicts with President Lincoln led him to resign by late 1862. In 1863, the government seized the property without payment, by executive order of Lincoln, on the grounds it was needed for the war effort. Frémont would again contest the US presidency in 1864, running as the candidate of radical Republicans, only resigning the effort when Lincoln fired a political enemy in his cabinet as a concession.
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