Historic Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island, 1900 Naval Base Housing, 1939 Exposition Hangars.

On the way to San Francisco, and directly beneath and adjacent to the busy Interstate 80 Oakland Bay Bridge, are two fascinating and historic sites entirely worthy of spending a few hours exploring. Not entirely visible and easily bypassed, evidence of this area's past is still there, some more obvious than others. I started my much abbreviated exploration on Treasure Island, a man-made island just east of Yerba Buena Island and I-80. This area has undergone tremendous change throughout its existence, beginning in 1939 as the site of the Golden Gate Exposition, an event to mark and celebrate the completion of the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay Bridges. With the advent of WWII, a regional airport planned for the island was never constructed, but the administration building and two hangars built to service the airport are still standing. After WWII the Navy used these two hangars for a period of time as part of their training center. A quick side-note: roaming around the island seeking out historical evidence, I quickly realized this is a photographer's playground.

Leaving Treasure Island and returning to Yerba Buena Island, I was amazed at the amount of residential construction taking place and the amazing views of the bay, but what I wanted to see was what lies almost directly beneath the Bay Bridge. Here I found a handful of very beautiful and grand houses, some dating back to 1899-1900, all encircling an open common area, probably shared by the residents who once lived here. Admiral Nimitz was once in charge of this training base, prior to his duties in the Pacific War after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. His residence still stands, and was his home even after retiring from his duties as a military officer. This area is beautiful and, if not for the noise of the busy I-80 overhead, would actually be a very tranquil place to spend some time away from the busy city nearby.

Thanks you as always for tagging along, and we hope you enjoy the ride and learn something new along the way.

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