At the height of the Gold Rush in 1853, Army engineers established Fort Point at the mouth of the Golden Gate to protect the San Francisco Bay from foreign attack. The massive brick and mortar building was built in the "Third System" architectural style, an impressive design featuring three tiers of arched brick casemates for 126 cannons and seven-foot thick walls. Revered for its strength and beauty, Fort Point was called the "Pride of the Pacific" and was the only fort of its kind west of the Mississippi.It also had 55 guns as well.
Fort Point was built between 1853 & 1861 by US Army Engineers as part of defense system of forts planned for the protection of San Francisco Bay.Fort Point has stood guard at the narrows of the Golden Gate for over 150 years.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Preservation Plans In the late 1930s, plans for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge also involved plans for the demolition of Fort Point. Fortunately, Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss recognized the architectural value of the Fort and created a special arch which allowed the construction of the bridge to occur safely over Fort Point. After World War II, the movement to preserve Fort Point for its historic and architectural value began to grow. Over the next 20 years, support for the preservation movement waxed and waned. In 1959, a group of retired military officers and civilian engineers created the Fort Point Museum Association and lobbied for its creation as a National Historic Site. On October 16, 1970, Fort Point became a National Historic Site
After the war, the Army installed powerful 10-inch Rodman guns in the lower casemates; these could fire a 128-pound shot more than two miles. At its greatest strength, the fort mounted 102 cannon. In addition, the fort had "hotshot" furnaces, which allowed iron cannon balls to heated red hot, loaded, and fired at wooden ships to set them ablaze. Despite such technology, Fort Point never mounted the 141 cannon that its planners envisioned
At the height of the Gold Rush in 1853, Army engineers established Fort Point at the mouth of the Golden Gate to protect the San Francisco Bay from foreign attack. The massive brick and mortar building was built in the "Third System" architectural style, an impressive design featuring three tiers of arched brick casemates for 126 cannons and seven-foot thick walls. Revered for its strength and beauty, Fort Point was called the "Pride of the Pacific" and was the only fort of its kind west of the Mississippi.It also had 55 guns as well.
Fort Point was built between 1853 & 1861 by US Army Engineers as part of defense system of forts planned for the protection of San Francisco Bay.Fort Point has stood guard at the narrows of the Golden Gate for over 150 years.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Preservation Plans
In the late 1930s, plans for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge also involved plans for the demolition of Fort Point. Fortunately, Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss recognized the architectural value of the Fort and created a special arch which allowed the construction of the bridge to occur safely over Fort Point. After World War II, the movement to preserve Fort Point for its historic and architectural value began to grow. Over the next 20 years, support for the preservation movement waxed and waned. In 1959, a group of retired military officers and civilian engineers created the Fort Point Museum Association and lobbied for its creation as a National Historic Site. On October 16, 1970, Fort Point became a National Historic Site
After the war, the Army installed powerful 10-inch Rodman guns in the lower casemates; these could fire a 128-pound shot more than two miles. At its greatest strength, the fort mounted 102 cannon. In addition, the fort had "hotshot" furnaces, which allowed iron cannon balls to heated red hot, loaded, and fired at wooden ships to set them ablaze. Despite such technology, Fort Point never mounted the 141 cannon that its planners envisioned