Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Building a Historic Landscape

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Photographed by Adam Margolis, December 12, 2023

1. Building a Historic Landscape Marker

Inscription. During the Vietnam War, East Hospital was replaced with a new hospital to treat the growing number of war casualties. Letterman also provided comprehensive health care tor soldiers' families. The Letterman Army Institute of Research opened behind the hospital in 1973. It conducted research on medicine, optics nutrition and toxicology. These facilities closed in 1997 just before the Army left the Presidio and transferred the historic post to the National Park Service in 1994.

New Buildings and a Garden in a National Park

The hospital and research institute were replaced by the Letterman Digital Arts Center (LDAC) designed by Gensler Architectural Design & Planning and HKS Architects. Opened in 2005, the LDAC houses Lucasfilm, a digital film industry leader. The new buildings blend with the Presidio's architecture through their row-like arrangement, red and white color scheme, and glassed-in porches echoing historic post architecture. The garden and its lagoon are new public gathering places in the park. Lease income from this project, the largest new construction that will take place at the Presidio, helps maintain the more than four hundred historic structures in the park and its forests and natural areas.

Erected by Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Topics. This

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historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1973.

Location. 37° 47.964′ N, 122° 26.967′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Presidio of San Francisco. It is on Letterman Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Letterman Drive, San Francisco CA 94129, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Exposition and the East Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Old and New on O'Reilly Avenue (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Recalling the Lost Bay Wetlands (about 500 feet away); Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Palace Lagoon (approx. 0.2 miles away); A City Undaunted (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bernard Maybeck (1862-1957) (approx. ¼ mile away); Palace of Fine Arts (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, December 12, 2023

2. Building a Historic Landscape Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2024, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 211 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 2, 2024, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.