Reimagining Some of the World’s Most Expensive Real Estate for Public Good

Two decades ago, the Presidio Trust was created to transform a derelict Army post into a national park, and to do so without ongoing taxpayer dollars.

Though beautiful and beloved, the 1,500-acre Presidio of San Francisco had passed its prime. Founded in 1776 as a Spanish colonial military fort, the Presidio had been the longest continuously operating military post in the United States when it was closed in 1994. The Army barracks, bunkers, homes, and administrative buildings had fallen into decline. Environmental hazards including toxic wastes, dumps, and underground fuel tanks had to be removed. And water, sewer, and electrical systems had to be upgraded for the modern era.

Meanwhile, a relentless clock was ticking. The Presidio Trust had just 15 years to renovate enough buildings so that the Trust could cover its operating costs as a park, a real estate enterprise, and a small city (the Presidio is in San Francisco, but all traditional municipal services – roads, sewer, water, electrical and other systems are maintained by the Presidio Trust), all without any taxing, bonding, or borrowing authority. If we did not meet the deadline, the land would be sold off to private developers.

While the challenge was great, the mission was even greater: to use some of the most beautiful and valuable land in America to serve the needs of the many, not the few.

With this sobering prospect before us, we started by repairing for civilian use housing once occupied by privates, colonels, and generals. We removed a defunct and seismically unsafe Army hospital and replaced it with buildings occupied by filmmaker George Lucas.

We invited for-profits and non-profits to reuse historic Army buildings as office space, museums, restaurants, gyms, and even a brewery. Tides Converge, a foundation that incubates non-profits, is here. Venture capitalists are here. The Walt Disney Family Museum is here. Futures Without Violence is here.

In partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, we enhanced the wild spaces in the Presidio, began replanting the aging historic forest, and created trails, overlooks, and great lawns to welcome park visitors.

The Presidio became the largest successful preservation project in America, with 300+ historic buildings brought back to life and hundreds of acres of open space restored. Today, more than seven million people each year discover the Presidio’s nature, history, and recreation, and the park is home to 200 organizations and 3,000 residents.

Creating a Campus for Change at the Presidio’s Fort Winfield Scott

Having passed the deadline to cover our costs with our income, we’re now ready to try something really unusual.

In January, the Presidio Trust launched a public process seeking proposals to transform the Presidio’s 20 building, 30 acre Fort Winfield Scott, located immediately adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge, into a campus of mission-driven organizations addressing the significant environmental and/or social challenges of our time.

Unlike most of our other projects to date, this is not about revenue. This is about using public land to make positive change on the issues that face us all.

Given the unique contemplative setting situated so close to Silicon Valley, we think Fort Winfield Scott is the perfect place for something unique. What were once barracks, classrooms, training facilities, a gymnasium (and yes, even a jail) have the potential now to become places where people can use the historic buildings and magnificent lawns, trails, and views, to challenge conventional wisdom.

We’re casting a broad net, knowing that great ideas can come from any quarter. We’re welcoming proposals from for-profits and non-profits, foundations, accelerators, think tanks, academic institutions, and any others who have the means and the drive for problem-solving on a large scale.

Proposals are due at the end of June, so in just a few weeks we’ll know if the time is right. But one thing we know for sure – this site is special enough to wait for the right idea. So if our current process doesn’t result in an idea worthy of the place, we’ll pause for now rather than compromise. After all, national park sites are forever places. The National Park Service and the Presidio Trust steward these places for today’s visitors and for those who will come long after we are gone.

Learn more about the Fort Winfield Scott Request for Concept Proposals at www.presidio.gov/fortscott. Proposals are due June 29, 2018.