Main Post in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Sutler's Quarters
Of frame construction with wood siding, two-story Building 116 has a cube-like appearance even though it is rectangular in plan. It is capped by a truncated hip roof with a central pediment with fish-scale shingles. A decorative frieze of vertical boards appears under the overhanging eaves. The strongly vertical double-hung windows have decorative surrounds and are paired on the façade. The building is a restrained example of the Stick or Eastlake style without the bay windows typical of San Francisco's Victorian houses.
Captions
Top: The former sutler's house after its conversion into noncommissioned officers' quarters and before the removal of its front porch. Park Archives
Bottom, left to right:
• Swiss-born Angelo Berretta was the Presidio's sutler from the late 1860s to 1890. He is shown here with his family in the 1880s. Park Archives
• The post's Centennial Tree, the tall eucalyptus to the left, was planted by Angelo Berretta in 1876 behind his now-demolished store. The Monterey cypress to the right was planted to mark the nation's Bicentennial in 1976. Park Archives
• Today Eastlake style Building 116 houses offices. Charity Vargas
Erected by National Park Service and The Presidio Trust.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Forts and Castles • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
Location. 37° 48.012′ N, 122° 27.614′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Main Post. Marker can be reached from Taylor Road north of Sheridan Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7000 Taylor Road, San Francisco CA 94129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Laundresses' Row (here, next to this marker); Sergeants' Row (within shouting distance of this marker); Montgomery Street Barracks (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Infantry Row (about 400 feet away); Post Chapel (about 600 feet away); San Francisco National Cemetery (about 600 feet away); Ammunition Magazine (about 600 feet away); The Ordoñez Gun (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
Regarding Sutler's Quarters. From "Defender of the Gate: The Presidio of San Francisco" by Erwin N. Thompson:
About 1869 a new post trader arrived, Angelo Marcian Gasper Beretta, who did leave an impression on the garrison. Family tradition held that Beretta, born in Switzerland, arrived in California by way of Australia and Hawaii sometime between the gold rush and the 1860s. The post trader's store at that time was a frame structure to the west of the Civil War barracks, between them and the laundresses' row. A second structure most likely served as his residence (seven of Beretta's children were born at the Presidio). Beretta's name became permanently linked to the Presidio when, at the celebration of the centennial of the American Revolution in 1876, he planted three eucalyptus trees in honor of three daughters in front of the store. Later when the Army cleared that area for a new parade ground, it removed two of the trees. The third, the Commemoration or Centennial Tree, survives near the center of the parade.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide view photo of the marker showing its location in context. • Can you help?