Learn about the Presidio's past and the innovative way it is managed and funded today.
For thousands of years, the lands at the Golden Gate were the territory of the Yelamu, a local tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula, who still have a presence here today.
In 1776, the same year the United States was founded, Spain built a military fort – a “presidio” – overlooking what today is called San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Presidio was operated as a military post by Mexico from 1822 until 1846, when the United States Army took it over after winning the Mexican-American War.
The Presidio was an important military post. It played a role in every major American conflict from the Civil War through Desert Storm. Generations of soldiers served here, and many are buried in the Presidio at the San Francisco National Cemetery.
Given its history, architecture and beautiful landscapes, the Presidio was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1962, recognized by the federal government for its significance to American history and culture.
In 1972, Congress created a new national park – the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Its lands north and south of the Golden Gate included former military installations and beautiful open spaces. The law creating the new park said that the Presidio would become part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area if the Army ever left.
That became a reality in 1989, when the Department of Defense announced that it would close many military bases across the country, including the Presidio. This touched off debate about how to convert the Presidio into a national park site, which would be complex and costly. Some even wanted to change course and sell the Presidio.
Faced with this challenge, Representative Nancy Pelosi championed an innovative bi-partisan funding and management model to save the Presidio as a public park. Working with Representative Ralph Regula and colleagues from both parties, she envisioned a new federal agency – the Presidio Trust – to manage the Presidio in partnership with the National Park Service. To reduce the burden on American taxpayers, Congress required the Presidio Trust to fund its own operations by rehabilitating and leasing the buildings left by the Army. The Presidio Trust Act was passed with bipartisan support in 1996.
The Presidio joined the national park system as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1994. The Presidio Trust began operations in 1998. The two federal agencies were supported by the non-profit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Today, the three organizations are known as the Partnership for the Presidio.
Over many years, the partnership brought hundreds of historic buildings first used by the Army back to life as homes, workplaces, and visitor destinations; revitalized the Presidio’s forest and wild open spaces; and improved trails, beaches and other visitor amenities to make the park welcoming to all.
The Trust invests money it earns from leasing buildings and operating visitor amenities back into the Presidio – a kind of virtuous circle. The Presidio is also supported by volunteers, donors, and community groups, as well as visitors who help fund the park when they patronize businesses located in the Presidio.
After three decades of transformation, the Presidio is one of America’s most unique and popular national park sites, hosting nearly 10 million visits a year. Its 1,500 acres include spectacular vista points, restored natural habitats, trails, picnic areas, museums, historic sites, art installations, schools, a golf course, a campground, hotels and restaurants. The Presidio is like a small town, home to 3,000 residents and 200 organizations. And despite its urban location, it is an oasis for threatened plants and animals.
Having made a wonderful park, we’re now sustaining it for generations to come. The Presidio Trust is guided by a triple bottom line – welcoming all people and protecting the planet, fueled by the performance of successful park businesses that earn the money that keeps the Presidio open, beautiful, and free to everyone forever.