"Black Point": A Civilian Neighborhood on Military Land

Private residences dotted the slopes above Black Point due to its commanding waterfront views.

In the 1850s, private citizens constructed homes on the east side of the street, facing the water; after 1865, the army constructed the west side buildings. Although the military reserved Point San Jose for its purposes, the army had not assigned any soldiers or constructed any buildings. This scenic and underutilized piece of property, known to locals as "Black Point" because of the bluff's dark laurel trees, offered refuge from the rapidly growing city. Black Point was exceptionally desirable to opportunistic real estate developers and because the U.S. government had trouble enforcing its property claims, a few entrepreneurial civilians moved in and claimed the land for their own.

By 1855, San Francisco real estate developers had constructed five large, private residences at Black Point. Some of San Francisco's most influential citizens moved into these elegant homes and over the next nine years, Black Point became a prestigious community of well-educated bankers, merchants, and literary figures. Fortunately, three of these civilian, pre-Civil War homes still stand: Quarters 2 (Brooks House), Quarters 3 (Haskell House), and Quarters 4 (Palmer House, located a little further up north) are the oldest Fort Mason buildings and reflect the popular mid-19th century Italianate Style.