Fort Mason, the Great Meadow

Through much public involvement and political workings, Golden Gate National Recreation Area was created in 1972. The headquarters for the new park was established in the post’s original army hospital. As part of the redevelopment effort for the park, many of the underutilized, temporary army buildings were removed to create Fort Mason’s Great Meadow, as open space for city’s residents and visitors alike. Fort Mason Center, located close to the water at Buchanan Street and Marina Blvd. hosts several complexes of renovated military buildings, at the hub of the first urban National Park, visitors can discover all the vitality and diversity that make San Francisco one of the most exciting cities in the world. The concept that inspired creation of the GGNRA was to bring the park to the people. It is the bustling activity at Fort Mason Center that brings people to the park. Fort Mason Center combines, as perhaps no other place in the country, a magnificent setting in the heart of a great city with cultural activity for people of diverse interests and backgrounds.