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Update – March 26, 2009

A community update meeting for the Public Health Service Hospital District (PHSH) projects will be held on Monday, May 11, at 6:30 pm, in the Cypress Room at the Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop.

Located in a tranquil setting on the Presidio’s southern border, the Public Health Service Hospital District is a refuge for native plants and wildlife and has a human history dating to 1875. Its historic buildings and landscapes are now being revitalized as part of the Presidio’s ongoing transformation from military post to national park. The area will be a new park gateway with historic buildings, trails, and open spaces that welcome the latest generation of residents, workers, and visitors. View the Project Documents

• If you have questions about progress with the Public Health Service Hospital Project, please call Diana Parker, Presidio Trust, at (415) 561-5468.
• If you have questions about how to rent a living space at the Public Health Service Hospital when the rehabilitation is complete, please call (213) 408-0818.

The Site

·        42-acres, located between Mountain Lake and Lobos Creek, the last free-flowing stream in San Francisco.

·        Home to 17 buildings, the largest of which is the historic (c. 1932) former hospital, which will become housing; others include the former Nurses Dorm, the historic Wyman Avenue residences, and buildings that once supported the hospital’s operation.

·        Current organizations located here include Arion Press, the nation’s largest fine printing establishment, and its program partner, the Grabhorn Institute; Lone Mountain Children’s Center; and a half-dozen small organizations located in Building 1806.

District History

·        The district evolved as a separate entity from the rest of the Presidio, first under the administration of the U.S. Marine Hospital Service and then under the U.S. Public Health Service. The site was originally selected for a hospital because it is near the fresh waters of Lobos Creek and Mountain Lake. It has remained a refuge for native plants and wildlife, some found nowhere else in San Francisco.

·        The first building was constructed in 1875 and named San Francisco Marine Hospital. It provided free medical care to merchant mariners from around the world, some of whom are buried in a small cemetery behind the hospital. The cemetery will be commemorated to tell the stories of those buried there.

·        By 1900 the hospital had taken on a larger role in protecting public health, providing such services as disease control, quarantine duties, and medical examinations of immigrants from Angel Island. In 1932 a new building called the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital replaced the original wood framed structure. It is the Presidio’s largest historic structure. Twenty years later, the two large front “wings” were added, and the hospital operated until its closure in 1981. Important medical research was conducted by doctors and scientists at this hospital; many innovations in diagnosis and care began here.

·        In 2003, the Presidio Trust began a process to revitalize the entire area, including partnering with Forest City Development, which will convert the main hospital building into residences and construct seven small townhomes.

The Future – 2010

·        Main Hospital Building and Townhomes. Forest City Development will remove the non-historic wings and convert the historic main hospital building into 154 apartments. Junior one bedroom, one bedroom, and two bedroom units will range from about 400-1,500 square feet to be occupied by an estimated 310 new residents. Where possible, the historic wood windows and brick and stone facades will be refurbished. All new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and a new narrow concrete shear walls seismic resistance system will be introduced. A three-story addition will be added at the rear of the building. Seven small townhomes will be added totaling about 16,000 square feet. These elements will be completed in late 2010.

LEED Gold Certification. Forest City plans to seek the Green Building Council’s Gold Certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for the project. Potential LEED technologies will include energy conservation and efficiency strategies, indoor environmental and air quality management, and resource efficiency practices such as construction waste management, storm water management, and water-efficient irrigation systems. Forest City specializes in green building practices like recycling construction waste to keep it out of landfills; and using natural light and sustainable landscaping features, and educating residents about green living.

·        Nurses Dormitory. The Presidio Trust will rehabilitate the historic former Nurses Dormitory (Building 1808) and repurpose the building for workspaces.

·        Wyman Avenue Townhomes. The Presidio Trust will rehabilitate eleven historic residences along Wyman Avenue, the last of the Presidio’s historic residential neighborhoods to be renovated.

·        New trails and scenic overlooks will beckon visitors and connect to Baker Beach, Crissy Field, and the Presidio forest.

Key Participants

·        The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to manage the Presidio of San Francisco, a former Army post located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The 1,500-acre site contains the infrastructure of a small community as well as expansive open space, a 300-acre historic forest, spectacular views, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. It comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District, making it unlike any other national park.

·        Forest City Residential Group is a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., a $10.9-billion, NYSE-listed national real estate company. The company is principally engaged in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the United States. The Residential Group specializes in transforming functionally obsolete urban landmarks into vibrant communities. Its current adaptive re-use/historic preservation portfolio consists of 2,880 units at 13 properties. Forest City is also active in converting train stations, mills, warehouses and other historic buildings into upscale, mixed-use complexes. Part of its extensive portfolio includes: The Uptown Apartments in Oakland with 665 units; The River Lofts at Tobacco Row – Lucky Strike, a former cigarette manufacturing plant in Richmond, Virginia converted into 131 lofts; and Metro 417 with 277 residences in Los Angeles, formerly the historic Subway Terminal Building. For more information, visit www.forestcity.net.

·        Perkins+Will, Project Architect for Forest City Elements: The San Francisco office of Perkins+Will is part of an internationally renowned, integrated design firm with 1,300+ staff serving clients from 20 domestic and foreign offices. The San Francisco office has participated in a number of important historic renovation and adaptive re-use projects, including renovation of the Ferry Building and the seismic rehabilitation of the San Francisco City Hall dome. Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the preeminent sustainable design firms in the Country with more than 750 LEED® Accredited Professionals and dozens of LEED Certified and Registered projects.

·        CMG Landscape Architecture

·        Strategic Engineering and Science (SES)

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