From Sausalito over the Golden Gate Bridge to the U.S. Army gun batteries at the Presidio: 12 October 2016

Presidio Building 1648 is a nondescript single-story cinder block building; a relic from the Cold War. Building 1648 was the impetus for this ramble. 

Carl Nolte, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently wrote an article about this building, and according to Mr. Nolte, the building was a top-secret military site. Presidio Building 1648 was the U.S. Army headquarters for the twelve Nike Missile launching sites located in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. The twelve Bay Area missile sites were but a small part of the more than 300 Nike Missile sites located throughout the United States. These missile sites were built to defend the country in case of an attack by Soviet bombers. The Nike missile sites were decommissioned in the late 1960s and early 1970s because their functional ability became obsolete. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area authorities are planning to demolish Presidio Building 1648 within the next few months, and that short-term time frame made me decide to view the building before it became history. 

The M.S. Marin, a Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District ferry took us from San Francisco's Ferry Building to Sausalito. I then walked from Sausalito through the site of Fort Baker, then over the Golden Gate Bridge and into that part of the Presidio adjacent to the southern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

I quickly located Presidio Building 1648. After an exploration of the area, I took a Muni #28 bus from the Presidio to the Marina District where I stopped at Le Marais Bakery for a croissant. After which I took a Muni #30 bus for the ride to downtown San Francisco, the conclusion of this little adventure.

Click on an image to see the full-size photograph

 Traveling to Sausalito on the M.S. Marin. The view is looking south. 

This is the route that the ferry took from San Francisco to Sausalito. The distance traveled was approximately 7.4 miles. Mile markers are displayed on the GPS generated track.

Passengers boarding the M.S. Marin in San Francisco. 

A view of San Francisco. The western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is visible on the left, and the southern portion of the Golden Gate Bridge is visible on the right. The view is looking south. 

The fog was a delight to behold. It was poetry in motion; always changing and ever moving. The Golden Gate Bridge is straight ahead, hidden behind that low-level fog bank. The view is looking west. 

Angel Island is ahead. The ferry is preparing to dock at Sausalito. The view is looking east. 

The total distance traveled during the ramble was approximately 11.8 miles. Of that, about 5.6 miles were walking miles, and 6.2 miles were on the San Francisco public transit system. Mile markers are displayed on the GPS generated track. 

A view of Gabrielson Park. The park is adjacent to the Sausalito ferry dock. The view is looking north. 

In Sausalito on Bridgeway Road, adjacent to Richardson Bay. The view is looking west. 

Scoma's Restaurant on Richardson Bay. The view is looking south. 

The Trident Restaurant was opened in 1966 and was formerly owned by the Kingston Trio. The view is looking north. 

This photo of the Golden Gate Bridge was taken from Horseshoe Cove which is a part of Fort Baker. The view is looking southwest. 

Coast Guard Station No. 323 is located on the site of Fort Baker. The view is looking north. 

This underground bunker was a part of the World War II Harbor Defenses program. This is a photo of Bunker 411, which is located at Fort Baker. Bunker 411 was the storage location for granulated dynamite. The dynamite was used to refresh the 600 underwater mines located just outside the Golden Gate. Why was the dynamite granulated? The dynamite granules were poured into the mines after the underwater mines were taken out of the water to be examined and recharged. 

A view of the northern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco is visible in the distance. The view is looking south. 

This picture was taken from the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Baker and Horseshoe Cove are visible. Angel Island can be seen in the distance. The view is looking north. 

This is the northern tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. The two towers of the bridge are each 746 feet tall (226 meters). 

Walking towards San Francisco. The southern tower of the bridge is visible in the fog. 

This is a view of the northern portion of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

This is Presidio Building 1648. The view is looking south. 


Here is another view of Presidio Building 1648. The view is looking west. 

This is Battery Godfrey, it became operational in 1896 and was decommissioned in 1942. The view is looking north. 

A view of a warhead transportation room at Battery Godfrey  

Here is another view of Battery Godfrey, the view is looking north. 

Battery Marcus Miller is visible. This Gun Battery became operational in 1898 and was decommissioned in 1920. The view is looking north. 

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

My first San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that I posted between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view the 2002 to 2011 photo galleries.

I used a Panasonic GX7 camera body mounted with a wide-angle Olympus 9mm lens to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com