May 23 to November 18
Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 am to 5 pm
Montgomery Street Barracks, Building 103, facing the Main Post Green
A newly rehabilitated Montgomery Street Barracks is the setting for a sensory experience of the Golden Gate before the iconic bridge was constructed. Large historic photographs, maps, charts, drawings, paintings, and computer graphics combine with a natural, nautical, and military soundscape.
Gallery I traces the history of the magnificent Golden Gate Strait with tales of ships, lighthouses, foghorns, and shipwrecks. Gallery II explores two centuries of harbor defense, the impact of the Golden Gate Bridge on the Presidio, and the earliest vision of a national park at the Gate.
A kids’ treasure hunt and evening programs complement the exhibit. For more information on the exhibit and related programming, visit the
Before the Bridge Exhibit website.