Page 38 - Historical Study of Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island and Their Buildings

1.3 Modern History of Verba Buena Island

1.3.1 Naval Training Station of the Pacific, 1898-1923-

Initial planning of the Naval Training Station was conducted in 1898 by civil engineer
F. C. Prindle and Captain F. W. Dickens. Together, they selected the building sites, drew plans,
and prospected for a water supply. In March 1899, Captain Henry Glass (later Rear Admiral) of
Dewey's Asiatic Fleet, took command of the Naval Training Station. He sailed his ship, the
USS Pensacola (a veteran ship of the Civil War that once carried President Lincoln and his
cabinet), from the Mare Island Navy Yard and anchored it in the south cove of Yerba Buena
Island. There he established the Training Station which operated off his ship until buildings
could be constructed on the island.

FIGURE 10. Rear Admiral Henry Glass. 1902.

The Barracks was the first building constructed for the Training Station. Built by Campbell and
Pettus of San Francisco for $74,000, its construction was completed on January 10, 1900. The
facility would provide living quarters for 500 men, as well as having the largest drill hall on the
Pacific coast with a clear floor of 300 feet by 60 feet, and an overall size of the building of 300
feet by 260 feet. The drill hall was surrounded by a second floor gallery where apprentices hung

September 1, 1995 Historical Study ofYerba Buena Island, 1-15
Treasure Island, and their Buildings