Presidio Trust Wins Prestigious Preservation Design Award

Presidio of San Francisco (July 19, 2010) — The Presidio Trust is pleased to announce that it will be a recipient of the prestigious California Preservation Foundation (CPF) 2010 Preservation Design Award in the Cultural Resource Study category. The Trust is being recognized for the Cultural Landscape Assessment of the Fort Scott district in the Presidio. The awards ceremony will be at the Getty Villa in Malibu on October 16.

This highly competitive awards program honors exceptional historic preservation projects for excellence in design, construction, planning and technology. The Trust partnered with architecture firm Perkins and Will, who submitted the project for an award, and CMG Landscape Design, who acted as sub-consultant on the team.

“We are honored along with our partners to receive the 2010 Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation,” said Craig Middleton, Presidio Trust Executive Director. “We are dedicated to preserving the historic fabric and character of the Presidio. It is tremendously gratifying to be recognized by an organization that is so highly respected in this field.”

CPF makes awards in nine categories. To be eligible, projects must be located in California, or address a California subject, and entries must conform to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

“The Trust’s submission is an exemplary cultural resource study, said Cindy Heitzman, CPF Executive Director. “We look to highlight projects that can serve as models for other historic rehabilitation studies and projects. The cultural resource study for Fort Scott will not only support the future rehabilitation of the district, but will hopefully set a standard that other efforts can emulate.”

Fort Scott was developed in 1912 as the headquarters for the Coastal Artillery Corps and served as a preeminent training facility until the Army’s departure in 1994. The core of Fort Scott consists of eleven Mission-style barracks organized around a central green space (formerly a parade ground). Previous planning efforts have each pointed to the importance of maximizing the site’s contemplative, prestigious, and retreat-like setting in future reuse efforts.

The Trust, along with its partners in historic rehabilitation, have received a number of past awards from CPF: the 2006 Trustees Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation for rehabilitation of an historic warehouse for Senspa, a stunning day spa; the 2009 Rehabilitation (Large Category) Award for the rehabilitation of a former army airplane hangar to accommodate La Petite Baleen, a children’s swim school; the 2009 Craftmanship/Preservation Technology Award for restoration of the Presidio’s historic Arguello Gate; and an historic preservation design award for rehabilitation of the Presidio Fire Station in 2000.

The Presidio has been a National Historic Landmark District since 1962. It has 469 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Three-quarters of those buildings have been rehabilitated for use by residential tenants, schools, non-profits and a wide range of businesses. In addition to awards for historic preservation, the Trust has recently been recognized for its work to rehabilitate historic buildings using green and sustainable methods.

The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to administer the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park that is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The areas overseen by the Trust include expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The National Park Service oversees the coastal areas of the Presidio. The park comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to the Presidio’s status as a National Historic Landmark District.