This section provides a brief summary of key projects presented in the Main Post Update and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (alternative 2).  View the summary brochure.

Three Parade Grounds
The Main Post evolved around its three parade grounds — El Presidio, the Old Parade, and the Main Parade — open spaces where troops conducted drills, ceremonies, and exercises. New buildings will re-frame the parade grounds and welcome the public. The largest of these, the Main Parade, will become a welcoming green where the community gathers. It will feature magnificent bay views, abundant seating, a safe and clean environment, places to eat, and protection from the weather. The parade grounds will be linked by the Anza Esplanade, a broad new pedestrian “Main Street.”

El Presidio
Spanish colonists established El Presidio in 1776 – it is the birthplace of San Francisco. Visits to the Presidio will begin here, where the lore of the Presidio will be told. Over time, the original garrison’s foundation will be excavated and visitors can experience an active archaeological site.

The Officers’ Club
Sitting at the head of El Presidio, the Officers’ Club has always served as the social and cultural hub of the Presidio. It will be rehabilitated to support three public functions: a heritage center, the Archaeology Lab and educational program, and a venue for special events. San Francisco’s oldest building will be a state of the art public facility with a dynamic mix of history and contemporary culture at its front door.

Montgomery Street Barracks
Built in the 1890s, the elegant brick Montgomery Street Barracks that frame the Main Parade will feature visitor-serving activities – restaurants, galleries, and cultural institutions – inviting the public to visit and enjoy. Activities will spill out on to the Barracks’ expansive front porches.

Main Post Bluff
Portions of Doyle Drive, the highway that connects San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge, will be placed underground as it passes in front of the Main Post, creating ten acres of open space, the Main Post Bluff, and restoring the Main Post’s connection to the waterfront. The historic buildings along Halleck Street will house services for the Presidio community and visitors to the park.

Park Lodge
In the tradition of national park lodges, a lodge will provide overnight accommodations in an historic building and in a new building along the Main Parade with views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The lodge will also provide other important amenities that invite and serve the public.

Contemporary Art Museum
For more than two hundred years, generation after generation has created a new layer of history and experience at the Presidio. A museum of contemporary art built south of the Main Parade will express the architecture of our time; an internationally renowned collection of 20^th and 21^st century works will be a significant cultural addition to the park and the region. An annex in a nearby historic building will offer public art programs, artist workshops, and classes.

Presidio Theatre
The 1930s-era theatre, unused for more than a decade, will be rehabilitated and expanded for film and other theatrical performances.

Parking
Parking will be relocated to the perimeter of the Main Post to create a pedestrian district in the heart of the park. The number of parking spaces will remain about the same as today, 2,100. The PresidiGo Shuttle will connect parking lots to key visitor destinations. The Transit Center will remain the hub for MUNI and the Shuttle.

Main Post Projects Previously Studied

Building 100: The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) is proposing to rehabilitate Building 100 as the International Center to End Violence. The Center’s programs would be accommodated in the 33,800 square-foot historic Building 101 and in a new one-story, 3,800 square-foot addition that would infill the existing courtyard on the west side of the building. The Center would serve as the FVPF’s headquarters and include related general office use, exhibit space, an interactive learning center, meeting space, a training academy, storage, and a gift shop. The primary goal of the Center would be to engage the public on the issue of violence against women and children around the world through education, advocacy, and training programs. The Environmental Assessment for that project was completed in 2007.

Walt Disney Family Museum: The Walt Disney Family Foundation, a Presidio tenant since 2001, has signed a lease to establish the Walt Disney Family Museum and Library in Building 104. The museum will provide a permanent source of information on Disney, his accomplishments, and the period of American history that he greatly influenced. It will include a children’s learning center with hands-on art programs, an extensive collection of artifacts and archival material, exhibits on animation and motion pictures, a research center for scholars, exhibits of art works influenced by Disney, a book store/gift shop, and a small café. The Environmental Assessment was completed in 2006.

Main Parade Ground: At the Main Post’s core is a grand parade ground that was once used for military drills, troop exercises, and public ceremonies. For the last several decades this site has been used as a surface parking lot. The Presidio Trust is now re-establishing the Main Parade Ground as a vibrant gathering place, in context with other projects being considered in the Main Post Update and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. This project is a central aspect of plans for renewing the “heart of the Presidio.” The Environmental Assessment for this project was completed in 2007.