Sixth Army Headquarters

Sixth Army Headquarters. . The Presidio began expanding just before the United States entered World War II. Buildings 38 and 39 were built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940 to provide housing and to create employment during the Great Depression. Each symmetrical barracks was designed to house two companies of soldiers which explains the two identical entrances with imposing cast stone surrounds. Both buildings were converted into offices for the Ninth Corps Area and the Fourth U.S. Army when America entered World War II and never served as barracks., After the war, Building 38 became part of the headquarters of the Sixth U.S. Army continuing the Presidio's role as the headquarters for the Army in the West. In addition to supervising the deployment of Army Reserve units during the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Sixth U.S. Army also responded to forest fires, earthquakes, floods and civil disturbances. Building 38 housed the commanding general's office until the inactivation of the Presidio in 1994., Buildings 38 and 39 play a major role in defining the Main Post. Built of white-painted reinforced concrete with red tile roofs, this powerful architectural pair of Mission style buildings recalls the Presidio's Spanish beginnings on a monumental scale and conveys a sense of power and authority., Captions , Top left: During World War II, these large buildings were painted white and gray to break them up visually and make them appear smaller from the air. Park Archives , Top right: Class Number 21 of the Sixth Army Personnel Administration School in June, 1954 as the Army began to diversify. Park Archives , Bottom left: The entrance to Building 38 with the flags of a three-star and a one-star general. Park Archives , Bottom right: Major General Milton B. Halsey (left) and Brigadier General Floyd W. Stewart discuss the training of the California National Guard in 1951 surrounded by portraits of their predecessors. Park Archives