Benny Bufano at Fort Mason

Benjamin Bufano has many pieces throughout San Francisco.

This statue, featuring a child within a larger statue represents the peaceful blending of cultures.

The green sits on the hill above the actual fort.  Called Fort Mason since 1882, the location at Point San Jose, as this area was known, was originally little more than a field of sand dunes. Following the Spanish American War, however, the military realized the need for its own shipping facility on the San Francisco waterfront.

As the United States began establishing a presence in the Pacific, Fort Mason’s shallow cove was soon home to  three piers and  four warehouses.  By World War II, the fort was the headquarters for the San Francisco Port of Embarkation and over 20 million tons of cargo and more than a million troops were deployed through here. Fort Mason loaded ships like the Liberty Jeremiah O’Brien, which can now be seen at Pier 45.  Also active through the Korean War and the early 1960s, Fort Mason ceased transportation depot operations in 1964.

In 1972, due to legislation introduced and supported by Congressman Phil Burton, Ft. Mason and 34,000 acres of shore land were designated as a National Park. Known as the Golden Gate Recreation Area, it became the largest urban National Park in the world.

Fort Mason is once again in for some changes.  On May 6th the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story announcing that the city is hosting a design competition seeking “creative and practical design concepts” for the 13 acres of parking lots and former military buildings that sit midway between Aquatic Park and Marina Green.