Fort Winfield Scott Rehabilitation Proposals Narrowed

Presidio of San Francisco (September 28, 2018) – The Presidio Trust Board of Directors has chosen four projects to advance to the second phase of the Fort Winfield Scott rehabilitation selection process, based on concept proposals received in June. At a public board meeting yesterday, project proposers presented their concepts to create a “Campus for Change” addressing the significant environmental and/or social challenges of our time on the magnificent 30-acre site within the Presidio of San Francisco, a unique national park at the Golden Gate.

From the nine concept proposals received, those invited by the Presidio Trust Board of Directors to participate in a Request for Proposals (RFP) are:

• • Campus for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
    Submitting Organization: Equity Community Builders and World Economic Forum
    The Campus for the Fourth Industrial Revolution would host non-profits, technology organizations, academics, and others to address the effect of accelerating technological innovation on human needs. The campus would include office, educational facilities, convening, food service, and lab space.

• • Epicenter for Climate Solutions
    Submitting Organization: California Clean Energy Fund and EPIC Institute
    Epicenter for Climate Solutions would be a workplace and convening center to study climate change solutions focused on reducing energy use and lowering carbon levels around the world. The campus would include office, convening, lodging, and residential for onsite start-ups and non-government organizations.

• • OpenAI
    Submitting Organization: OpenAI and Kilroy Realty Corporation
    Open AI would be a center for research and advocacy focused on the potential and challenges of artificial intelligence, advocating for its use in positive ways. The campus would include office, laboratory, recreation, convening, food service, and housing for visiting researchers, interns, and scholars.

• • WeWork Campus at Fort Scott
    Submitting Organization: WeWork Companies, Inc.
    ​WeWork proposed a mixed‐use campus for social enterprises and non‐profits working on world changing ideas and social impact. The campus would include office, educational facilities, convening, residential, and recreation uses.

“We are excited to have four real possibilities for putting this important site back into use and appreciate the time and creativity shown by each of the organizations that submitted a concept proposal,” said John Keker, Chair of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors. “We encourage continued public involvement in the selection process for the best outcome for the Presidio and the community.”

On July 16, updated on September 13, 2018, the Presidio Trust staff made a Recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding the nine concept proposals received for the rehabilitation of historic Fort Winfield Scott. Staff found that three of the concept proposals met the minimum requirements of the RFCP, which included proposing a campus of mission-driven organizations focused on addressing the significant environmental and/or social challenges of our time, demonstrating the necessary qualifications and experience to renovate the site, and demonstrating the financial capacity to rehabilitate and operate Fort Scott.

The Presidio Trust invites the selected respondents to submit a Request for Proposal, to include conceptual designs, detailed project schedules, and project financing plans, due by January 15. A series of public information sessions and scoping for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will be held through the winter, with the final board decision targeted in March of 2019 (see timeline below).

The Presidio Trust issued the Request for Concept Proposals in January 2018, seeking a qualified and mission-driven organization to reimagine one of the largest groups of unrenovated historic buildings in the Presidio, a former US Army installation that has been transformed into a national park during the past two decades. The Presidio Trust conducted extensive outreach about the Fort Winfield Scott Request for Concept Proposals to organizations across the country resulting in national news coverage and direct marketing to hundreds of foundations and organizations. The Trust conducted multiple tours for nearly 400 people, held a formal respondents conference, and hosted several information sessions to answer questions and clarify the Request for Concept Proposals, which was downloaded from the Fort Winfield Scott website more than 1,000 times.

Timeline for the process going forward is as follows:

Presidio Trust Track Record of Historic Developments

In partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Presidio Trust has been leading the Presidio’s national park transformation for two decades. The Presidio is the only national park that receives no funding from Congress and must earn all of its own funds to operate. It does so through rehabilitating historic buildings with new uses that earn revenue. The Presidio Trust has completed or overseen many successful large-scale historic rehabilitation projects. These include the Lodge at the Presidio, which opened in 2018, the Inn at the Presidio, the Walt Disney Family Museum, Futures without Violence, and the Letterman Digital Arts Center. Of the more than 700 structures in the Presidio, 470 are on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Fort Scott History

Fort Winfield Scott, named for the most prominent U.S. Army officer of the 19th century, was initially established as an independent post for the Coast Artillery Corps. While located within the Presidio Army post, Fort Winfield Scott functioned separately with its own commander until after World War II. Over the course of half a century, it served as headquarters for the defense of the Bay Area’s coastline, from the era of breech loaded, rifled guns to Nike missiles. Constructed between 1909 and 1912, the Fort Scott barracks feature the earliest example of the Mission Revival architectural style at the Presidio.

About the Presidio

The Presidio served as a military installation from its establishment in 1776 as Spain’s northern-most outpost of colonial power in the New World, later passing to Mexico and then the United States. In 1972, Congress created one of the world’s largest national parks in an urban setting – the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) – and declared that the Presidio would be part of the GGNRA should the military ever leave. At the end of the Cold War in 1989, Congress decided to close the Presidio. Its 218-year tenure as a military post ended in 1994 when the U.S. Army lowered its flag for the last time and the Presidio became a national park.

Since then, the Presidio has undergone a “post to park” transformation. The Presidio Trust, the National Park Service, and the non-profit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy have built 24 miles of walking and 25 miles of biking trails, cleaned up beaches; restored native plants and habitats, and rehabilitated hundreds of historic buildings as visitor destinations, homes, and workplaces. Learn more at www.presidio.gov.