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The Seventh & Mission historical study was carried out by the Southeast Archeological Center, U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. General Services Administration in support of a proposed expansion of the existing facilities of the U.S. Court of Appeals Building (formerly the Post Office and Federal Court House Building) at Seventh & Mission Streets, San Francisco, California. Today, the old Post Office and Court House building houses the courts and offices of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The purpose of this interagency technical assistance project was to provide an archival and background literature search of cultural resources (i.e., archaeological, architectural, historic, ethnic, etc.) within the project area that could be affected by the proposed expansion. The proposed expansion project encompassed a 50,625 square foot area within City Block 3703, bounded by the U.S.Court of Appeals (Old Post Office) building to the west, Stevenson Street to the north, the boundaries with Lots 80, 85, 86, and Jessie Street to the east, and Mission Street to the south (Assessor's Map of Block 3703). Dimensions for the expansion were approximately 350 ft north/south by 150 ft. east/west, representing approximately 1.16 acres. The project (study) area is situated within one of the earliest urbanized sections of San Francisco. These web pages are adapted from the results of a historical study (ACS 1994) carried out to meet the requirements of Section 110 and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended prior to the expansion. Section 106 requires that federal agencies having direct or indirect jurisdiction over a proposed federal project, prior to approval of the expenditure of funds or the issuance of a license, take into account the effect of the undertaking on any district, site, building, structure, or object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Section 110 directs the heads of all federal agencies to assume responsibility for the preservation of National Register listed or eligible historic properties owned or controlled by their agency. Federal agencies are directed to locate, inventory and nominate properties to the National Register, to exercise caution to protect such properties and to use such properties to the maximum extent feasible. In the case of the proposed expansion at Seventh & Mission, an alternate location was ultimately chosen and no further archival or archaeological work was conducted at the Seventh & Mission site. Alternative actions for expansion notwithstanding, the Section 106 compliance background study (ACS 1994) produced interesting historical and archaeolgical information. These web pages highlight the historical information obtained by the background study with additional major contributions derived from three publications: Vanished Waters: A History of San Francisco's Mission Bay (1986), by Nancy Olmsted; California Archaeology (1984), by Michael J. Moratto; and Tar Flat, Rincon Hill and the Shore of Mission bay: Archaeological Research Design and Treatment Plan for SF-480 Terminal Separation Rebuild (1993), by Mary Praetzellis and Adrian Praetzellis (eds.).
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