Reporting Experience – A Final Post

Reporting about the Presidio has enabled me to learn a lot about a unique part of San Francisco, a part of the city I might not have otherwise become familiar with. The Presidio has a rich and fascinating history and its development continues to be newsworthy.

The major challenged I faced as a journalist was gaining the confidence to approach people and question them, a challenge that was not made any easier by the suburban environment of the residential areas in the Presidio. However, by the end of the semester I met people through networking and asking questions became second nature.

One of the things that I have most enjoyed about the reporting process has been learning about the Presidio’s military history. There are so many interesting stories and it is a history that is still very visible in the buildings and layout of the park.

I have also greatly enjoyed having a reason to spend a lot of time in the Presidio. It is an incredibly beautiful location with amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay and the city. It is a wonderful feeling to feel as if you are in the country enjoying trails and nature and yet be only minutes away from a bustling city.

Last night, Dec 4, I finished my last interview around 7:30 p.m. It was a very cold night; I made my way to the transit center and waited for the 29 Muni to take me home. The 29 had been faithful in picking me up across the street from my house in the Sunset District and dropping in the Presidio all semester. It was a 20-minute wait and finally, growing numb from the cold, I approached two Muni drivers as they were taking a break, the transit center being the final destination of the inbound 29.

“Do you know how much longer it will be,” I asked.

One of the Muni drivers checked his watch. “ I am scheduled to leave in another three minutes,” he said.

“You know tonight is the last night the 29 will come out here due to the changes in the route, right?” asked the other driver.

I did know and at that moment it felt like an oddly appropriate way to be ending the semester’s project.

With a Tree Lighting Ceremony The Presidio Begins the Holiday Season

A 50-year-old tradition continued on Friday Dec 4 as the many people who had gathered for the event lit a 60 foot tall Norfolk Island pine. The mood was festive; the sounds of children’s laughter and caroling filled the air.

Lisa Hillstorm, a programs and education specialist for the Presidio Trust, organized the event. She said, “the army used to do this across from the fire station, however that tree came down in a storm so it was moved. The park service kept it going.”

People who attended the event were largely families with small children. They gathered under the unlit tree and were entertained by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Carolers until the ceremony began.

Once the ceremony began Hillstorm instructed everyone to form a circle around the tree holding hands. She then began a wave similar to the one seen in sporting events that traveled around the circle symbolizing a wave of energy. Once the wave had traveled around the circle the tree was lit and the children sprinted under the tree and the crowd broke into song.

Once the tree lighting ceremony came to an end the YMCA held a reception in their gym. There refreshments such as popcorn and cider were given out.

Prejudice and Patriotism Exhibit Tells a Fascinating Story

Japanese American soldiers fought and worked as language interpreters despite extreme prejudice during War World II. An exhibit inside the Officers’ Club on the Presidio’s main post tells the story of Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) and of secret military language school that trained originally located in the Presidio.

The secret language school was opened in the Presidio in the spring of 1941. Building 640, an abandoned airplane hanger was used as both a classroom and as living quarters for the men. Many second-generation Japanese American soldiers or Nisei attended the school.

When war broke out in the pacific with the bombing of Pearl Harbor things changed. When Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 and Japanese Americans were relocated from the West Coast the school had to be moved. It was relocated in Minnesota.

The linguists of the MIS participated in every major battle and campaign in the pacific, the read captured documents and diaries, intercepted and interpreted radio transmissions and interrogated Japanese prisoners of war on a human level.

After the end of the war the MIS soldiers served as an important bridge between Japanese and American relations. They participated in land reform, war crimes trials and educational and legal development. They contributed to Japans transition from a war-ravaged country to a major economic power and one of America’s important post war allies.

Despite prejudice the Nisei who served with the MIS did so patriotically despite the fact that their loyalty was always suspect and even though they often fought against relatives and former classmates. During battles Japanese Americans were often given Caucasian bodyguards to protect them from friendly fire from American troops.

Kathleen Cooke, a visitor to the exhibit, said, “ I was surprised I had never heard of this contribution or language school before. They showed so much courage and loyalty. It is a fabulous story and should be taught in all schools.”

The exhibit features a video documentary, various historic photographs, well-organized displays with historical relics and a portrait and interview series done by Tom Graves. Tom Graves’ instillation is called “After the Wars: Lessons from America’s Nisei Heroes.”

The National Japanese Historical Society, the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service are developing a MIS historic learning center in building 640. The center will have interactive educational exhibits and a recreated 1941 classroom theatre experience.

The exhibit Prejudice and Patriotism will be on display until Jan 31.

Map of Residential Neighborhoods in the Presidio

View Housing in The Presidio in a larger map

Photo Essay - A Sample of Historic Buildings in the Presidio

Building 50. the Officers’ Club. The Officers’ Club is the oldest building in the Presidio and is the largest surviving Spanish Colonial military building in California. The building was built

between 1776 and 1824. Today the buildings is rented as event space and is the current home of the National Park Service’s visitor center.

Building 102 was once a men’s barracks. It was built in 1895. After the transition from military post to national park the building was used for a time as the National Park Service’s visitor center. They moved out and into the officers club in order to do retrofitting on building 102. However, the cost of the retrofitting became too expensive. Plans for the building are now on hold.

Building 36 was constructed in 1886. The army built two of these Italianate style barracks. One of the buildings was removed in 1912 to make room for new buildings. Building 36 is currently serving as the Presidio Graduate School.

Building 59 was constructed in 1885 in the Queen Anne style, which was imported from England during the mid nineteenth century. It was constructed as officer’s quarters for an officer with a family. The house is currently a residential home.

Building 45, Chapel of Our Lady, was originally constructed in 1864 but was redone in 1952 and 1970. The building is still a religious structure.

Building 1016 was constructed in 1899 as the administration building for the general hospital. It is currently leased out to nonresidential organizations.

Building 1007 was built in 1901 as women’s barracks. It is currently used as government offices.

Building 225 was constructed in 1910 as a storehouse. It was built in the Utilitarian style. This style often employed inexpensive materials and limited applied details. The function of the building usually dictated the style. The building is still used for storage.

Pilot’s Row home. The houses in the Pilot’s Row neighborhood, located directly across from Golden Gate Bridge, were built in 1921. The 13 houses were constructed in the Colonial revival style to accommodate pilots who were based at Crissy Field. They are currently residential homes.

Building 1204 was built in 1910. It is a good example of a Presidio building in the Mission Revival style. It was originally built as enlisted men’s barracks.

Building 1450 was constructed in 1942 as part of the War World II building campaign in the Presidio. It was originally a radio transmitter and warhead supply shop built to serve the coastal defense batteries.

Frank Dean Talks about Historic Preservation

On Nov 18 at the Old Presidio Golf Club Frank Dean, a superintendent of the National Golden Gate Recreation Area spoke to a small audience on the role of the National Park Service in historic preservation and in education in history at national parks and the challenges it faces.

While the talk focused on the treatment of historical properties by the National Park Service on a largerscale the audience seemed more interested the Presidio Trust’s plans for development as well as the National Park Service’s role in the Presidio.

The Presidio Historical Association hosted the talk, which began with an introduction by the association’s president, Gary Widman. Widman made an announcement that the Presidio Trust is still planning on building a hotel in the main post area as well as tearing down the bowling center and building something new in its location.

Dean, who 30 years ago gave tours of the Presidio as an interpretive park ranger, has found himself coming full circle to again work in the same location.

Dean said that working with the Presidio Trust has been a unique process. Noting that they have a different mission then the National Park Service and that they have to cover their costs. The park service was given Area A, which includes Crissy Field and they were given interpretation, park rangers explaining the history of the park, they also have formal programs in place. However Dean says that he “would like to spice it up a bit.”

He said that the Presidio Trust wants to see an agreement in broad terms about what will happen at a site, but the National Park Service whose opinion holds some weight needs more information, “ we can’t approve anything without knowing more.”

As far as main post planning goes Dean said, “keep it constructive, keep it positive.”

Lucia Bogatay, a member of the audience, asked if the Presidio Trust were to give the Presidio back to the park service, would they want it back?

Dean replied by saying that, “it looks good, I don’t always agree with them [the Presidio Trust] but they have done good things.” He continued by saying that the trust has legal flexibilities that the National Park service does not have.

To questions about creating a modern visitor center in the Presidio Dean responded by saying that they need to get back to the main post. A visitor center was located in building 102 on the main post but they moved out for retrofitting, which became too expensive. The visitor center for the Presidio is temporarily located in the Officer’s Club.

Dean also spoke about there being 12 national registered properties, 739 historical structures and 61 archeological sites within the National Golden Gate Recreation Area, which includes the Presidio.

The Walt Disney Family Museum

The newly opened Walt Disney Family Museum, located in a wonderfully restored building in the Presidio, is an experience for all ages. While it focuses mainly on the life of Walt Disney and seems designed for older visitors there are still plenty of interactive exhibits to keep the attention of children.

The museum takes you step by step through the life of Walt Disney. It features a War World 1 era ambulance similar to the one Disney drove during his time volunteering for the Red Cross, the earliest known drawings of Mickey Mouse, family photographs of the Disneys, various cameras used by Disney including a multiplane camera, a full wall with stills from the animation “Steamboat Willie,” and a Disneyland model.

The building is located in one of the old barracks in the Main Post area of the Presidio. In a row of six barracks the museum is the only one in use and the only one that has been fully restored and modernized. The buildings were built sometime between 1895 and 1909. From the outside the building looks basically untouched, however on the inside few of the elements are original. The museum proves that restoration of the historical buildings is possible but at a high price, the project budget was $52 million.

The museum also houses a theatre. From Nov 1-20 they will be screening “Sleeping Beauty” three times daily. On the Nov 14^th the San Francisco International Animation Festival will be screening the Alice Comedies. The Alice Comedies are short films featuring a live action girl placed in a cartoon that were created by Disney from 1923 to 1927.

The museum contains 10 galleries on 2 floors. Each gallery recounts a different phase of Walt Disney’s life and career. Plan to spend at least a full afternoon or morning exploring the exhibits. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.

For more information see the museum's website.

Presidio Bowling Center Faces Uncertain Future

Five-year-old Jude Sol’s favorite thing about bowling at the Presidio Bowling Center is “knocking down the pins.” However, the fate of the Presidio Bowling Center is as uncertain as his knocking down all the pins; it is possible that the center will lose its lease in order to make room for new development.

The Presidio Trust has plans to transform the Main Post area of San Francisco’s Presidio, where the Presidio Bowling Center is located, to revive its historical past. Recently those plans have included replacing the Bowling Center with a contemporary art museum proposed by Donald Fisher, the co-founder of Gap Inc, to house his large art collection.

Darrell Herbert, the general manager of the Presidio Bowling Center, said the community rallied behind the center by signing petitions saying that residents were not interested in seeing a museum built in the location. During the summer, Fisher withdrew his proposal for the art museum. While the Presidio Bowling Center remains open on a month-to month lease as the Presidio trust continues with its Main Post planning, the fate of the center remains uncertain.

Dana Polk, the Presidio Trust spokesperson, said, “We just don’t know, it’s too early to say at this point.” about future plans for the Bowling Center’s location.

Victor Meyerhoff, owner of the Presidio Bowling Center, said that he has been talking with the trust about moving to a different location within the Presidio. He submitted a proposal to move to one of the old airplane hangers on Crissy Field but he said, “they don’t like our proposal. Basically I think it comes down to dollars and it is very expensive to retrofit one of those buildings.”

Polk said that the Presidio Trust appreciates the center being within the Presidio and is working with Meyerhoff to find a new location. However, Meyerhoff said he does not feel that the Presidio Trust at this time is very committed to keeping the center in the Presidio.

“The Presidio really wants to get market rent for any of their buildings here, they don’t see all of the intangible values to keeping bowling in the Presidio, they want to get the same amount of rent that they would get for putting an office building here and so that is the difficult part, we can’t generate that much revenue,” Meyerhoff said.

“The trend in the bowling industry right now is to make a bowling nightclub and so the bowling is really the secondary part of it,” said Meyerhoff. “It is more like a club with high-end food and beverage, but it doesn’t cater to kids and families, it caters to 21 to 35-year-olds that have a lot of disposable income. That’s not why I got into the business and that’s not why I want to stay in the business.”

Herbert coaches a youth bowling league which travels all around the world to compete in tournaments. “We travel to different cities, different states and different countries to bowl for scholarship money,” said Herbert. “Our next big tournament coming up is in Las Vegas. It’s a huge tournament that they offer every year and you have kids from all over all the country coming to bowl this tournament for over $70,000 in scholarships.”

The Bowling Center has a deli and a grill, offering inexpensive snacks and meals. It also has 50 different kinds of beer and various different types of wine. John Jurinek was in the Bowling Center to get a quick bite to eat and said, “I haven’t been here in about two months, we thought they were going to close, we drove by and I said ‘hey, it’s still open.’”

Bowling has been in the Presidio for almost 100 years, since 1912, according to Meyerhoff. The building where the bowling center is currently located was originally owned by the military when it opened in 1989. Mary Anne Sarrzin, who was visiting the center with her husband and young son remembers when the military operated the bowling center since her father was in the military. “Now we can come here at night on a date or with our son during the day,” she said.

“Anybody can play [bowl] and anybody can win, it’s really a neat sport for that reason,” Meyerhoff said. “We are open 365 days a year, you can do it when it rains you can do it when it’s sunny. There really is no limit, anybody can come bowling.”

A Map of Current and Future Scenic Overlooks in the Presidio

Scenic overlooks are typically in a high place, somewhere where people can gather and admire the scenery or take pictures. The Presidio National Park as many such places, though a few are still under going construction. This map shows the locations of both existing overlooks and the sites of future overlooks.

View Current and Future Scenic Overlooks in the Presidio in a larger map

*For more information see presidio.gov

A 3-DAY, 60 MILE WALK IN SEARCH OF A CURE

Tonight, Oct. 2 ,2009, Crissy Field looks like an army camp, but the tents are pink and the soldiers are those fighting to cure breast cancer.

Men and Women from around the country have come to San Francisco this weekend to participate in The Breast Cancer 3-day walk benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

“My New Year’s resolution was to be a part of something bigger then myself,” said Samantha Allen, who is walking in honor of her friend Becky Stevens who died after being diagnosed with breast cancer and bone cancer.

Walkers have been asked to raise a minimum of $2,300 each and some teams which were honored at the camp show on Friday night after the first day of walking had raised as much as $87,000. One individual woman, Corey Foley, raised over $36,000.

Despite the somber topic of the fundraiser and the chilly weather the participants seemed in high spirits during the camp show Friday night, proud of what they are doing and what they have already accomplished. Some participants wore prink costumes and the host cracked jokes as she explained the logistics of the camp. Participants did Karaoke, which they called the 3-Day Rock Stars, one woman sang “I Will Survive” and in the middle of her song she removed and threw a pink sparkly bra.

Not long ago “they wouldn’t print breast cancer in the paper, now you have boobs on your baseball caps,” said the host, “we have come a long way.” Since the 3-day walks began in 2004 almost $500 million has been raised.

“I have friends who that have had breast cancer. Some have made it, some haven’t,” said Angela Barber, a crewmember. Barber has participated in the event for the last four years, twice as a walker and twice as a crewmember. “Some of these women have breast cancer and some are survivors.” Barber described the closing ceremonies as being a truly emotional event, everyone is proud of what they have accomplished, “the survivors walk in last and everyone starts crying.”

The walkers began their journey with an opening ceremony at the Cow Palace, walked along the Great Highway, past Baker Beach, along part of the coastal trail and under the Golden Gate Bridge to Crissy Field, a total of 18.2 miles.

On the second day the walkers will cross the Golden Gate Bridge and walk through Sausalito and Mill Valley along the San Francisco Bay Trail. During the third and final day of walking the participants will walk through various San Francisco neighborhoods including the Marina District, Laurel Heights, the Financial District, Haight Ashbury, Civic Center and China Town before the closing ceremonies at Marina Green. In total the walkers will have covered 60 miles.

BAZAAR CAFE: A COMMUNITY GATHERING SPOT

Not far from the 25^th Avenue gate of the Presidio on California and 21^st Avenue is a quaint café filled with musical instruments, artwork and friendly employees. Bazaar Café during the day offers locals a place to drink coffee, grab a bite to eat, socialize or do work via wifi. At night the café offers a wide range of artistic events that draw people in from all over the bay area. “The evening and the daytime are just different dynamics,” said owner Les Wisner.

Wisner and his wife Makiko opened the café in 1998. “My wife is really the heart and soul of the place; she runs it in a business sense and the daytime sort of community aspect of the place. I handle the nighttime and the entertainment aspect,” said Wisner.

There are several unique aspects to the café. All of the music that is played must be original, therefore the café gets a lot of singer /songwriters performers. The Café also puts on a classical series and a cello series. “Cello night is really cool, that is my favorite,” said employee Greg Ivonov.

A creative writing professor at the University of San Francisco lives in the neighborhood and holds her class in café a few times during the semester, allowing the students to read their recent work and things that they are currently working on.

The café also hosts political and fundraising events. “We support candidates for office when they are running,” said Wisner, “not only supporting individual candidates but we will also have debates among a group of candidates.” Fundraising events for causes such as breast cancer treatment, an AIDS walk or raising money for someone in the community are sometimes held in the form of an art auction or musical event.

“Our food is not a typical café fair, it's eclectic,” said Wisner. The menu offers chicken curry, unagi bowls and teriyaki bowls, among other things. Some of the sandwiches are the owners’ own creations.

Outside is a beautiful garden that is the creation of the owners. The area provides a place of patrons to sit on a nice sunny day or to smoke. “We stripped it down, it was bare dirt and we put in everything,” said Wisner. “I don’t think there is garden to match this one.”

SOME IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THE PRESIDIO

Presidio is a Spanish word meaning garrison or prison. The area got its name, “El Presidio,” when Spain's Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza arrived there and formed a military base in 1776. According to the Presidio Trust’s website presidio.gov, before the Spanish arrived the indigenous Ohlone/Costanoan people lived in villages in what is now San Francisco.  From 1776 to 1821 the area was a Spanish military outpost founded around the same time as the Mission Dolores. After Mexico gained its independence from Spain the news took one year to reach the Presidio. The area then became part of the Mexican Frontier from 1822 to 1846. In 1846 during the Mexican –American war the U.S. army occupied the post and took over the following year. In the later part of the nineteenth century the army began foresting the area and in 1876 it became an “open post” accessible to civilians except during wartime. In 1994 the military transferred the Presidio to the National Park Service and in 1996 congress formed the Presidio Trust, “a federal agency charged with preserving the natural, cultural, scenic, and recreational resources of the Presidio.”

Because the Presidio is part of the national park service and because it was formally a military post its boundaries are easily defined. Visually it is easy to see where the Presidio ends and the rest of San Francisco begins, the trees and open areas disappear and are replaced with blocks of houses and businesses. The architecture also changes dramatically. The coast offers a natural boundary. Gates also mark entrances into the park. 

The major MUNI lines crossing the neighborhood include the 29 line, the 28 line and the 43 line. MUNI line 76 and Golden Gate Transit also go to the Golden Gate Bridge. Within the Presidio there is another transportation system called the PresidiGo. The PresidiGo shuttle operates Monday – Friday departing every 30 minutes from the transit center. There is also a service that goes downtown. On weekends the PresidiGo shuttle operates with different hours and at certain times is only available to residents and employees.

There is a police station located at 1217 Ralston Avenue. The police in the Presidio are run by the United States Park Police (USPP). There is not much crime in the Presidio. According to Linda Moses of the United States Park Police, “the most common crimes are resource violations such as pets being off leash in the park. There are also traffic issues such as people speeding, and people trying to camp in areas where it is not permitted. There is no major crime. The police presence is there mostly as a preventative action.”

The Presidio offers many events however not in a similar fashion to other San Francisco neighborhoods. There is not for example an annual street fair like those that you would see in many other neighborhoods. The Presidio does have an annual Memorial Day ceremony because of its military history. There is also an annual event, “Pasados del Presidio,” that commemorates the founding of the Presidio in 1776. Some of the events that will take place this month include free Shakespeare in the park, concerts at the presidio and an ongoing exhibit about the Treasure Island 1939 exhibition.

For more general information about the area presidio.gov is a good place to start. 

*Maps from presidio.gov 

 

First Impressions

The bus climbed steadily out of the Richmond district and into the Presidio. Immediately the landscape changed, the houses thinned, and the busy city of San Francisco seemed to vanish. Looking to my left the view of the entrance to the bay was spectacular, small sailboats dotted the deep blue waters under and around the glorious expanse of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

I jumped off the bus around the Main Post area of the Presidio and began to explore. The area seemed more like a museum then a neighborhood center with mostly vacant buildings and very few people milling about. At the Presidio Bowling Center I spoke with Darrell Herbert, the general manager, who informed me that there are still plans for redevelopment of the area. “We were almost closed as they were going to put a new contemporary museum right in this spot,” he said. “Now we are trying to sign a long-term lease.” He described the bowling center as being, “a place for the community” and “great for kids.”

The Presidio is part national park and part San Francisco neighborhood and is truly one of the city’s greatest gems. When the military left the area in 1994 the Presidio became part of the National Park Service. The National Park Service Presidio Visitor Center has been temporary moved to the historic Officer’s Club, an event space. Inside the Visitor Center I spoke with an enthusiastic seasonal interpretive park ranger, Chris Norman, who told me about how great it is to work in the Presidio. “Everyone comes up to me and says, ‘you have such an amazing job working here.’” He continued to talk about how fantastic it is working in such a beautiful spot with so much history, “ it is like being a part of something bigger then yourself.”

I walked across Crissy Field and out to Torpedo Warf to admire the view of the bridge. Reagan Cua, who was out crab fishing for the day said he comes out to the Presidio whenever he gets the opportunity and that he likes “the peace and quiet, the view of the Golden Gate and that the area draws all types of different people.”

Chita and Dave Edlund, a couple visiting from the South Bay, came to the Presidio to celebrate their wedding anniversary. “We wanted to see some parts of San Francisco that we had never visited before,” said Mrs. Edlund. “It’s beautiful here,” Mr. Edlund chimed in, “we are amazed at all the people and things, there is so much to see.”

I hiked up a trail leading to the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge and then hiked beyond that past Batteries Godfrey and Crosby and along part of the California Coastal Trail toward Baker Beach. I took in the awe inspiring views and the smell of fresh air excited to learn more about this oasis of nature and history within the bustling metropolis of San Francisco.