Fort Point National Historic Site

Fort Point National Historic Site is a preserved military fortification under San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, below the bridge’s southern tower, California. It offers visitors a glimpse into the city’s coastal defence history and stunning water and bridge panoramas. Between 1853 and 1861, the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers constructed Fort Point to block enemy ships from entering San Francisco Bay. A total of 126 large guns may be installed at the fort. Fort Point, hastily constructed as Company, I of the 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment, arrived in February 1861, just as the Civil War began.

During the Civil War, the fort saw active duty, although it was rendered obsolete by developing more effective rifled cannons. Troops were recalled in 1886. In the year 1900, the last gun was taken down.  Afterwards, the fort served as a storage and training facility for a long time. Between 1933 and 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed, and the fort served as a staging area for the project.

About a hundred soldiers lived at Fort Point in World War II, using its rooftop searchlights and rapid-fire cannon to defend the Bay’s entrance from enemy submarines. The United States’ only brick fort of the third system, Fort Point, is on the Pacific coast. On October 16 October 16, 1970, it was designated a National Historic Site.

Address: 201 Marine Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129, United States

 Opens– Closed: 10 am- 5 pm

Phone: +1 415-504-2334

Built: 1861

Established: October 16 October 16, 1970

Management: National Park Service

Area: 29 acres (12 ha)

Added to NRHP: October 16 October 16, 1970

Reference no: 82