San Francisco Neighborhoods Unite to Save the Historic Presidio

A powerful coalition of 48 San Francisco neighborhood groups has united in opposition to the construction of the large Contemporary Art Museum at the Presidio. This is a break-through development that clearly and forcefully mirrors the opinions of  hundreds of letters received by the Presidio Trust that oppose any building that damages the historic character of the Main Parade Ground area of the Presidio.  

 The resolution of the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods "urges our elected officials to oppose any buildings or activities that compromise the historic significance of the Parade Ground either by their purpose and function, architecturally, by the size, color and design of the proposed new building(s), or by the level of activity that will be generated by the new use(s)." 

The Neighborhood Coalition also stated its concerns about the growing traffic and parking issues associated with any large new enterprise on the Presidio.

New Key Support to Preserve the Presidio National HIstoric Landmark

The National Park Service has taken a strong position warning that the proposed Fisher art museum would have serious adverse effects on the integrity of the National Landmark. The law requires the Presidio Trust to preserve the Landmark. The Park Service's strong and principled statement strengthens greatly the odds that the art museum will be moved and modified in size.

Many do not know that the entire Presidio is a National Historic Landmark designated by the Secretary of the Interior after review by a panel of historians and historic architects. The National Park Service is the federal agency responsible for identifying and preserving national historic landmarks. The are about 2,500 national landmarks in the nation selected to preserve an important story of American history. The Presidio is even more rare, a landmark DISTRICT, which is a collection of structures and landscape that collectively express important stories of American history. 

The National Park Service is responsible for preservation of the "integrity" of National Historic Landmarks by advising and warning. It does not have the legal power to compel an acton. It is participating with the Presidio Historical Association, the State Historical Preservation Officer and other agencies in a review of the proposed new construction, including the massive contemporary art museum that has been supported by the board members of the Presidio Trust. Other agencies have joined the Park Service and the Presidio HIstorical Association in rejecting the size, design and location of the museum proposal. These positions opposing the art museum are being taken in a formal process under the National Historic Preservation Act. Although the Presidio Trust can by law ignore the recommendations of the panel, it would take a tin ear by the Trust to ignore formal opposition under the Historic Preservation Act and the outpouring of public outrage expressed in  hundreds of letters, comments to newspaper articles, and questions from the press.

Nevertheless, money talks and money talks loudly to politicians. The possibility of a massive modern structure paid for by a billionaire in the middle of San Francisco's treasured historic landmark district is still very real. If you have not written Congresswoman Pelosi, please do. If you have, write or e-mail again. We hope that the message finally will get through to the key decision makers. Until now, their gatekeepers are protecting decisonmakers from  the truth about the real threat the Fisher art museum is to the Presidio remaining protected as a National Historic Landmark. 

Public outrage expressed well, often and loudly will be the real "decider"in  the Presidio fight. Make your opinion known.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 14th floor, San Francisco, CA  94102. Or, 

sf.nancy@mail.house.gov.

Also, Board of Directors, Presidio Trust, P,O, Box 29052, 34 Graham Street, San Francisco,  CA  94129.

New York Times Chimes in on Challenge at the Presidio

The Sunday, March 30, New York Times has an excellent article that accurately and forcefully outlines the fundamental issues and personalities concerning a proposed 100,000 square foot art museum in the historic center of the National Landmark.

We do not yet have permission to post the full article. Go the the New York Times website. You can easily find it. You may have to register. The author is Patricia Brown. The title is "Art and History Clash on City's Sacred Ground."

We think having the national newspaper of record recognize this situation for what it is will focus a bright light on the abuse that is developing at the Presidio where an unelected board of business people is trying to force an inappropriate and possibly illegal privately managed personal art museum into the center of historic grounds owned by the people of the city and the nation. 

Unbelievable: Now a Multiplex Theater is Planned for the Historic Presidio!

First, the developer for a 80,ooo square foot 100 room luxury hotel right in the center of the Old Main Post was selected. A few months later, the Presidio Trust welcomed a proposal for a glass and white stone huge contemporary art museum to be built next to the flagpole. Historical groups and regulators point out that such glaringly inappropriate and large new construction in the area would destroy the integrity of the National Historic Landmark: such construction can't happen there.

 Now, a new building is being planned. It is an addition to the Old Post Theater on Moraga Avenue located right across Montgomery Avenue where the big art museum is to be. The addition is a modern movie mall sort of structure that is larger than the historic old theater building itself.  The management of the Trust has shown either arrogant disregard for historic preservation principles, or the Trust Board has its head in the sand and does not want to recognize that there are real limits from public opinion and  historic preservation standards that prevent massive inappropriate new construction in a National Historic Landmark. What the Trust wants to do is build 200,000 square feet - MORE THAN THREE FOOTBALL FIELDS - of modern looking new structures within a few hundred yards of the 1776 Spanish Presidio the  and even closer to the flagpole.

BUT YOU, THE PUBLIC DOES NOT WANT BIG BUILDINGS IN THE CENTER OF THE PRESIDIO. ONLY 10 PERCENT OF THE 300 LETTERS RECEIVED BY THE TRUST SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF A HUGE ART MUSEUM IN THE HISTORIC MAIN POST.

What can we do to stop this madness that will ruin the Presidio and maybe even cause it to be removed from the list on National Historic Landmarks? E-mail Nancy Pelosi with  your thoughts to:  sf.nancy@mail.house.gov and copy the Trust at Mainpost@Presidiotrust.gov. 

Your actions will bring sanity to this crazy situation.

PUBLIC COMMENTS OPPOSE CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM IN THE HISTORIC HEART OF THE PRESIDIO

Less than 10 percent of letters from the public received by the Presidio Trust want a contemporary art museum in the designated prime location on the historic landmark, the Presidio of San Francisco. 30 percent specifically favor a proposal by the Presidio Historical Association for a History Center at the Golden Gate. The Trust chose not to consider that proposal due to the fact that it was not funded. Comments ranged from 15 percent in favor of both museums to 15 percent saying no museum construction at all.

This information was acquired by reviewing one half of the 300 letters submitted. 43 of the letters were from civic and cultural organizations or commercial businesses. Of these, only 10 percent want the contemporary art museum built as proposed, while 25 percent specifically endorsed the History Center proposal. 

The Presidio Trust made the decision to move forward with the Contemporary Art Museum at the Presidio (CAMP).

Stay tuned. How long can the Presidio Trust Board (on which Mr. Fisher, the donor of CAMP has served)  ignore overwhelming public opinion that CAMP is the wrong idea in the wrong place at the center of a valued National Historic Landmark and a National Park? 

TRUST SELECTS ART MUSEUM FOR THE PRESIDIO

Today, January 30, it was announced that the CAMP Museum (Contemporary Art Museum at the Presidio) was selected by the Presidio Trust, the govermental corporation that manages most of the Presidio National Park.  However, overwhelming public opposition resulted in the Trust confirming that no decision would be made until a comprehensive environmental review is completed. It is possible that this review will require relocating the big glass and white stone structure away from a proposed central position in the historic park to a less objectionable site. That would be a major victory for those of us who defend historical values and American history. 

The Presidio Trust also announced 5 million dollars for a visitors' center ( a Park Service responsibility that has not been funded) and a "history center." But, the "history center" is nothing more than a promenade with exhibits along the way and an audio tour of the buildings: it does nothing real to bring meaning to the history of America found at the Presidio National Historic Landmark District. That historical meaning will remain a closed book to the public if the promenade were to be the only "history center." 

A proposal for a 50,000 square foot "History Center of the Golden Gate" was rejected on the grounds that it was not funded.  The group proposing the History Center, the Presidio Historical Association, had asked the Trust to join with it to explore funding opportunities for a museum with nation importance at the Presidio, a proposal that is fitting with the magnificent site and National Historic Landmark.

PRESIDIO NOMINATED AS MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACE

The Presidio of San Francisco was nominated to be one of the nation's "11 Most Endangered Historic Places". What do you think? Let us hear your comments. Here is the press release:

News Release

 

For Immediate Release - January 9, 2008

 

For more information, contact:

Whit Hall, Director:   707/778-6975, 

Gary Widman, President:  415/921-8193, presidio-assoc@att.net

http://www.presidioassociation.org/

 

Historical Association Seeks “Endangered” Status for San Francisco’s

Presidio

 

The Presidio Historical Association (PHA) announced today that it is

seeking “Most Endangered Historic Site” status for San Francisco’s

Presidio park.

 

On Tuesday, the Historical Association formally requested that the

National Trust for Historic Preservation include the Presidio on its 2008

list of the nation’s “11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” The National

Trust, a prominent nonprofit organization, provides leadership, education,

advocacy, and resources to save America’s diverse historic places.

 

PHA President Gary Widman said the move was necessary because the

Presidio’s management requested a proposal from Gap founder Donald Fisher to build a 100,000 sq. ft. modernistic stone-and glass-structure

showcasing his contemporary art collection on the Presidio’s historic Main

Post. The Presidio Trust, a federal agency, manages that part of the

Presidio. It has already named a developer for another new building, an

80,000 sq. ft. hotel to be built nearby on the Post.

 

The Presidio was a military garrison from 1776 to 1994, and is designated

a National Historic Landmark District, the highest possible designation,

by the Secretary of the Interior. Its buildings and setting reflect 220

years of America’s heritage.

 

The Presidio has not had a history museum since 1994.  PHA submitted a

plan for a “History Center at the Golden Gate” as an alternative to

Fisher’s much larger art museum.

 

“This precious historical site must be preserved for future generations

and protected  from incompatible structures and uses that would destroy

its integrity forever,” said Widman.  Widman noted the location sought for

the art museum lies in the heart of the Presidio, just yards from where

the Spaniards built their garrison in 1776.

 

Preeminent San Francisco landscape architect Lawrence Halprin said of

Fisher's proposed structure, "The design...is absurdly inappropriate. It

would ruin the unique architectural character of the Presidio..."

 

Charles A. Fracchia, Founder and President Emeritus of the San Francisco

Museum & Historical Society and author of three San Francisco history

books, wrote that “...the [Main Post] should be preserved as it exists.

The intrusion of a large hotel and museum in a contemporary style of

architecture into this delicate space would be a desecration, both to the

aesthetic and historic importance of the site. Such a mistake, if allowed

to continue, will be looked upon in ages to come as eyesores built by the

unfeeling and the insensitive.”

 

Boyd de Larios, speaking for the Descendants of the Anza and Portola

Expeditions, whose ancestors founded the original Presidio garrison in

1776, supported PHA’s request for endangered status to bring “national

attention to the irresponsible proposals for large-scale, new, and

inappropriately designed construction in the historic heart of an

irreplaceable national treasure.”

 

The controversy over building the art museum and hotel on the historic

Main Post, when many more appropriate sites are available on the Presidio,

has generated thousands of critical comments on the internet.

 

Founded in the 1950s, the nonprofit Presidio Historical Association (PHA)

has worked in cooperation with the National Park Service and Presidio

Trust since 1994 to advocate for preserving the integrity of the

Presidio’s National Historic Landmark District, located within the Golden

Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).  PHA created a museum for the Army when it was based at the Presidio. Earlier, PHA helped restore historic

Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.