Page 70 - Historical Study of Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island and Their Buildings

There are no traces of any of the graveyards in existence today. Sadly, the Indian graveyards
were destroyed by the military and by bridge construction. The formal graveyard, located
alongside the access road to Treasure Island, was transferred to the San Francisco Presidio
Cemetery in June of 1938 to keep it from being a depressing sight to visitors attending the
Golden Gate International Exposition.

1.5 Buildings of Yerba Buena Island

The buildings of Y erba Buena Island can easily be divided into two categories, those built
"pre-1891 ", prior to the establishment of the Torpedo Station, and those built "post- 1891 ".
Maps used were generated in the years 1919, 1929, 1935, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1948, 1950, 1953,
1961, 1970, 1980, 1992 and 1994. All map quad references are to the current maps. The review
of maps for the determination of when a building appeared or disappeared provided the basis for
the dating and categorizing buildings. For a few buildings, mostly pre-1919, determination was
based on photographs. Thus, a building that is described as "Year Demolished: ''NLT 1948"
would have been on the 1945 map but was gone on the 1948 map. Table acronyms are defined
as: ''NLT" = No Later Than; "Year Demolished: NA" indicates the building was still standing
as of December 1, 1994; and "~" = Approximately. Building "uses" indicated in "Bold" text
indicate possible environmental concerns.

1.5.1 Buildings Built Pre-1891

In 1871, a small Army base was established in the cove on the northeast side of Y erba Buena
Island. A detachment of the 4th Artillery Division occupied the base from 1871 to 1879. Base
buildings were last reported to be standing in 1881. Prior to 1891, a fire destroyed this grouping
of buildings. A newspaper account of the island, written in the late 1880's, lists only the
lighthouse depot buildings as standing. Although not a part of this report, yet noteworthy, both
the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's residence, built in 1875, remain standing and are in use by
the US Coast Guard (USCG). The house is currently occupied by a Vice Admiral, US Coast
Guard. A list of those buildings constructed pre-1891, that are not under USCG cognizance, is
provided in Table 1.

1.5.2 Buildings Built Post-1891

A list of the buildings that have existed on Yerba Buena Island since the US Army established ·-
the Torpedo Station there is provided in Table 2. The list does not include buildings presently
owned or operated by the USCG.

1-46 Historical Study ofYerba Buena Island, September 1, 1995
Treasure Island, and their Buildings