Historic Preservation

"Historic preservation” is the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the exiting form, integrity and materials of a historic property. For example, a preservation project can be converting a historic army barracks into an office building or re-using a historic airplane hangar as a small aviation museum. All National Park Service preservation projects must comply with national standards and guidelines. The preservation guidelines exist to ensure that careful analysis is conducted before the professionals make any physical changes to historic structures and landscapes. Because of these preservation guidelines, you should be able to walk into that new office building or aviation museum and still feel and understand how that historic building was originally used.  

To learn more about how the National Park Service is working with preservation both in the parks and in communities around the country, please visit America's Best Idea Today.

Preservation at Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Here at the park, we preserve and rehabilitate many different kinds of cultural resources, including historic buildings, artifacts, archeology, structures and landscapes. Our historic preservation professionals include historic architects, historic landscape architects, historians, architectural historians, archeologists, planners, conservators and archivists. Before we start any project, we:

• conduct research to fully understand the historic significance of the resource
• evaluate all alternatives to determine levels of impact
• weigh all decisions to ensure the safety and future of the resource.

Continue down the page to learn more about the park's on-going preservation projects.

The Museum Collection & Park Archive and Records Center

Learn about the park's vast museum collection and how to conduct research at the park's archive and records center.

Historic Porch Reconstruction

Learn about the preservation project that carefully rebuilt porches back onto the historic Fort Baker army barracks.

Electricity in Battery Townsley

Learn about the volunteer preservation efforts in making this World War II battery open to the public.

Stripping Metal-pressed Ceilings

Learn about the labor-intensive process of restoring historic metal-pressed ceilings. 

Reclaiming a Military Parade Ground

Learn about the cultural landscape efforts to redefine Fort Baker's historic parade ground.

Protecting Battery Chamberlin

Learn about the careful efforts to preserve and protect this historic cannon.