Fort Mason's Role within the Community

Located just outside of Fort Mason, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition drew crowds.

NPS Photo circa 1915

Earthquake Relief
Early April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco and the ensuing destructive fires magnified the earthquake's damage. Brigadier General Frederick Funston, acting commander of the U.S. Army Department of the Pacific, immediately established a command post in the Fort Mason Commanding Officer's residence (Quarters 1). Because much of the city's downtown was on fire, the city and the army designated the Commanding Officers' residence as San Francisco's temporary City Hall. From Fort Mason, the army managed an emergency command center, coordinated law efforts to maintain civilian peace and set up hundreds of essential earthquake relief camps.

The World's Fair
In 1915, San Francisco hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This World's Fair celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, which dramatically improved travel to and from the East Coast and worldwide. The city filled in over 600 acres of tidal marsh to create three miles of exhibition space for different nations and U.S. states. "The Zone", the fair's amusement and concession area, was constructed on Fort Mason and extended south out to Bay Street. Locally, San Francisco used the Exposition to prove to the world that the city had fully recovered from the devastating earthquake and was once-again open for business.