Cavallo Point Lodge at Golden Gate
Award Type: Honor Award
San Francisco, California
Established in 1866 and with original buildings dating from the early 1900s, the old fort sits in the Marin Headlands, on the edge of the shimmering waters of San Francisco Bay, with breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge. After the base closed in 2002, the military buildings and surrounding 30 acres became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. After seven years of planning, approvals and nearly $100 million of renovation and construction, Fort Baker is now home to a stunning new lodge, the first built in a national park in a decade.
Cavallo Point – the Lodge at the Golden Gate boasts 21 historic Colonial Revival buildings—former officers' quarters, barracks, chapel and other military structures—masterfully renovated to create guest rooms as well as dining and meeting spaces that showcase original tin ceilings, cast-iron columns, porches, fireplaces and wood cabinetry. The renovated buildings surround a grassy Parade Ground, and 14 new buildings and a spa have been added on a gentle slope behind the original historic structures.
A unique public-private partnership worked to minimize the resort's environmental impact and maximize its historic integrity without compromising the amenities of a high-end resort. The entire development, which opened in July of 2008, incorporates energy-efficient features for heating, cooling and lighting and uses recycled materials, solar panels and electric cars.
"There aren't many army bases like Fort Baker," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Congratulations to the innovative team that took a deteriorated decommissioned army base and turned it into a stunning, secluded retreat. In projects like this all over America, preservationists are teaching us that the greenest building is one that's already built. It's the essence of sustainability."
Along with the Fort Baker Retreat Group, co-recipients honored for the restoration are: Equity Community Builders; Passport Resorts; Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects; Office of Cheryl Barton; Brayton & Hughes Design Studio; Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy; Golden Gate National Recreational Area; and Architectural Resources Group.
