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When war broke out in the Pacific, the San Francisco Bay Area quickly assumed a prominent role in America's "Arsenal of Democracy." Older coastal batteries, airfields and military posts were supplemented by a network of hastily constructed barracks, warehouses and staging facilities stretching from Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg to Fort Cronkhite in Marin County. New shipyards were built in Richmond and Sausalito and existing yards were expanded in San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda. Bay Area cities were unprepared for the massive influx of laborers needed to run factories and shipyards. The rapid migration of workers severely taxed housing, education and other services. And because they were scattered around the bay, getting workers to and from shipyards tremendously strained transportation systems, with Richmond, Vallejo and Alameda among the hardest hit.
The mammoth mobilization and production effort caused profound social changes and land use impacts that still affect us today. The Bay Area is rich in historic districts, sites, buildings and structures that chronicle the region's transformation, ranging from dry docks, cranes and shipbuilding facilities, to coast defense batteries and ports of embarkation. Although many of these historic places have been lost over time, remnants of the region's "military-industrial machine" have been successfully adapted to serve contemporary civilian needs. With the conversion of coastal batteries to picnic areas, shipyards to subdivisions, blimp hangars to movie sets and officers' quarters to wedding venues, the Bay Area's once-mighty "Arsenal" has been pacified through preservation. QUONSET HUTS TO CUL-DE-SACS
Multi-billion dollar projects are underway at former military installations throughout the Bay Area, including Hamilton Field, Alameda Naval Air Station and Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Other projects in the pipeline include Treasure Island, hailed as "San Francisco's next neighborhood," 2 and Hunters Point Shipyard, promising to deliver "jobs, homes and opportunity."3 More accustomed to plotting subdivisions on undeveloped land than building in dense urban settings, base reuse developers are sometimes reluctant to invest the time and money needed to come up with creative solutions for reusing "obsolete" infrastructure. All too often, historic places are sacrificed in the name of expediency.
Among local government officials and base reuse developers, historic places are alternatively viewed as a marketing tool and a key to revitalization or a deterrent to economic reuse. Bus placards advertising Bayport Alameda, "a new community that celebrates the heritage of Alameda," lure prospective buyers with a vintage photo of a Pan Am Clipper and the tagline: "Alameda was once home port for the China Clipper flights. Come see what has just landed."4 The website for Lennar Mare Island states that "preservation of Mare Island's historic resources [is] an integral part of the reuse plan,"5 although long-term plans call for substantial demolition in the island's historic district.6 Citing the need to eliminate "visual blight," all 22 buildings in the Oakland Army Base Historic District will be bulldozed for construction of a suburban-style office park.7 Hamilton Army Air Field (Novato) Deactivated in 1974, Hamilton Field was among the first successful transfers of a military base to the private sector for redevelopment in the recent wave of closures. The project's mix of homes, office space, retail and recreational amenities is intended to create a "small-town feel" where residents can "live, work, play and belong."9 Much of the old Spanish Mission Revival architecture has been preserved, including housing, barracks and hangars, as well as the base hospital, firehouse and theater. Cavernous hangars have been converted into a half-million square feet of office space; three former barracks recently reopened as the Villas at Hamilton, a "vibrant community for independent seniors"; the old headquarters building is now the Novato Arts Center; and the firehouse is slated to become the Hamilton Field History Museum.10
ARSENAL TO ART SPACE Fort Barry/Headlands Center for the Arts (Marin Headlands) After sitting vacant for 15 years, HCA initiated an innovative renovation program whereby Barracks Building 944 was upgraded--one room at a time--by granting commissions to artists. "The Latrine Project," by Bruce Tomb and John Randolph, remodeled a decrepit military bathroom to meet the Center's contemporary needs, hanging plumbing from the ceiling to "provoke awareness of water systems and how they function."14 For "The Mess Hall Project," artist Ann Hamilton "magically transformed the formerly dim, damp, low-ceilinged dining room and cluttered kitchen into the Center's main gathering place, where sumptuous meals are shared, culture gaps are bridged, collaborations are inspired and creative revelations arise."15 This model has been replicated by HCA at other Fort Barry buildings, including the 1907 Army storage depot, which was innovatively restored by architect Mark Cavagnero and artist Leonard Hunter in 1999. All of these projects were completed under the watchful eye of the National Park Service, which ensured their compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's rehabilitation standards. POST TO PARK
The Presidio (San Francisco)
One of the largest and most innovative preservation projects in the Nation, the Presidio boasts several award-winning rehabilitation and adaptive reuse projects. Old Letterman Hospital (constructed in 1924, expanded in 1933), the busiest army hospital in the country during World War II, has been reborn as the Thoreau Center for Sustainability, converting the original hospital wards into energy-efficient office space for non-profit tenants. The Mission-style Building 39 (1938), formerly the Sixth Army Headquarters, has been rehabilitated by the San Francisco Film Centre to provide state-of-the-art screening facilities, office space, conference rooms, an exhibit hall and a cafe for tenants in the film industry. The renovation and expansion of the Presidio Fire Station (1918)--adding a new truck bay, kitchen and dining facilities and lounge space--was honored by the California Preservation Foundation in 2000 for "combining a historically sensitive design approach with modern technological and spatial requirements."16 Future projects include the proposed conversion of the Public Health Service Hospital (1932) into a 350-unit apartment complex, which will be the park's largest historic preservation project to date.
Rosie the Riveter--World War II Home Front National Historical Park
(Richmond) As a "partnership park" with no land or buildings actually owned by the National Park Service, the success of Rosie the Riveter is dependent on collaboration with other government agencies and private property owners. Most of the historic properties within park boundaries, including the former Richmond Shipyard Number Three and the Ford Assembly Building, are owned and maintained by the City of Richmond. With funding from the California Coastal Conservancy and the Association of Bay Area Government's Bay Trail Project, the Richmond Redevelopment Agency recently commissioned the design and fabrication of interpretive signage for a 3.4-mile section of the Bay Trail passing through the Park. Due for completion in 2004, sites linked by the signage program will include the Rosie the Riveter Memorial, the Ford Assembly Building and "perhaps the Park's largest historic resource--the coastline itself, which was reconfigured as the basin for Shipyard No. 2."17 CONCLUSION Essay by Michael Buhler, Regional Attorney/Program Officer Western Office, National Trust for Historic Preservation 1. "Home Builders Face Big Roadblocks with Re-Use Projects on Ex-Military Bases," HBA News (Home Builders Association of Northern California), January/February 2002, p. 14. 2. Chuck Finnie, "Treasure Island project expected to go to mayor's cronies," San Francisco Chronicle, April 6, 2003. 3. Lennar/BVHP, LLP (www.hunterspointshipyard.com). 4. Warmington Homes California (www.Bayport-Alameda.com). 5. Lennar Mare Island (www.lennarmareisland.com). 6. In its 2002 report to Congress, the National Park Service warned that "plans to demolish or relocate historic buildings," together with the proposed 8.5 million square feet of non-residential new construction, "could seriously diminish the historic character of individual areas of the Landmark and of the entire island." 7. Draft Environmental Impact Report for Oakland Army Base Redevelopment Plan, Port of Oakland, April 2002, p.1-18. 8. "Shea Homes Opens Sunny Cove and Newport Communities at Novato's Hamilton Field," July 14, 2000 (www.sheahomes.com). 9. Maura Thurman, "Developers hope community atmosphere attracts buyers," Marin Independent Journal, January 24, 1999. 10. New Hamilton Partnership/Woodley, Wright & Lynn (www.tjwright.com). 11. The Point (www.thepointart.com). 12. "San Francisco: Art for the City, A City for the Arts," Newsom for Mayor Policy Brief (2004). 13. Headlands Center for the Arts (www.headlands.org). 14. Id. 15. Id. 16. Michael Buhler, Award-Winning Design Solutions (California Preservation Foundation, 2001), p.80. 17. Id. |
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