Fort Point
Fort Point, the site of the FOR-SITE exhibition International Orange, was constructed between 1853 and 1861 to protect San Francisco harbor from attack by foreign powers. Standing in a spectacular location at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, it guarded the Golden Gate during and after the Civil War. Its beautifully arched casemates are a masterful example of mid-19th-century brickwork.
In the late 1930s, plans for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge also involved plans to demolish Fort Point. Fortunately, the fort’s architectural value was recognized and a special arch was engineered to allow the construction of the bridge over the fort. During World War II, Fort Point was used as housing for soldiers and became the base for a vast net strung across the Golden Gate to protect against submarine attack.
Fort Point was named a National Historic Site in 1970; it is now managed by the National Park Service.