National Register of Historic Places in San Francisco
In 1866, the United States Army first occupied Yerba Buena Island, then known as Goat Island.
In 1898, President McKinley issued an Executive Order to set aside a "goodly portion" of the island for a Naval Station. The first barracks and the Commander's Quarters were completed in 1900. At the time it was built, the Naval Training Station was one of four such facilities in the United States and the only one on the West Coast. Typically, between four and five hundred trainees were present at the station at any given time.
Dozens of buildings were constructed here between 1900 and 1923. Most have been demolished, but the Senior Officers' Quarters 1-8 still remain in primarily original condition.
The Training Station was a key facility for the Navy, ultimately too important to be housed on the limited usable land. During preparations for WWI the Navy developed a second California Training Station in San Diego and the operations at the Yerba Buena site were moved to San Diego in 1923, representing a large step in the transfer of major Navy installations from northern California to San Diego.
Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island were transferred to the City of San Francisco as part of the Military Base Closures in the mid 1990's.
Points of interest on Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island: