San Francisco

Presidio Officers' Club Morphs Into Free “Party Pad”

The interior walls of the Officers' Club have been stripped to their original adobe. Later additions have been stripped away in layers to show the building's long transformation.

In the decades since the military moved out of San Francisco’s Presidio, stodgy old military buildings have been commandeered by environmental groups, tech startups and even a Disney Museum.

So it seems somewhat fitting the old Officers’ Club - considered San Francisco’s oldest building - would eventually join the party.

On Oct. 4, the building will reopen to the public as a museum, cultural destination and social gathering place following an extensive, $30-million, multi-year renovation. All events are free.

The front portion of the building, erected by the Spanish in 1776, was remodeled, with layers of decades-past remodel jobs now visible, like the skins of an onion.

In the oldest part of the building, original adobe walls are exposed, as are the later addition of wooden walls by American soldiers.

“The American soldiers didn’t feel so comfortable living in what they thought of as a mud building,” Presidio spokesman Michael Boland said. “So they resurfaced the building and made it look like a Victorian.”

The renovation of the building goes well beyond a little historic sprucing up. The Presidio Trust transformed a non-historic rear portion of the building into what is now a sleek heritage museum - tracing the land’s romp through several thousand years - honing-in on periods of occupation by Ohlone Indians and 200 years as a military post.

“It’s the place we’re telling the story of the Presidio,” curator Liz Clevenger said.

The museum features original Ohlone feathered headdresses, a glass case filled with military uniforms, a cracked doll head revealing family life on the military post. An area currently filled with the photos’ of a one-time soldier resident, will become a space for rotating exhibits.

“Historic preservation isn’t only about preserving the artifact,” said Boland. “It’s also about preserving the social life of a place.”

To that end, the great hall where officers and their families would once gather for social events has been restored to its Spanish glory. The Spanish decor which was actually added by the Americans in the 1930s as mission decor came into vogue.

The hall will be open to the public - hosting lectures, dances and concerts - all at no cost.

Perhaps the most dramatic addition, is the transformation of the old officers’ dining room into a swanky restaurant by Traci des Jardins, of Jardiniere fame. Exposed wood beams highlight a glassy bar with a newly added mural on the back wall.

“The old officer’s dining room is being reimagined as a new restaurant called Arguello,” said Boland. “That builds on the Spanish-Mexican history of the Presidio.” Turns out the bar isn’t exactly out-of-character. The Officers' Club once boasted five military bars all running simultaneously.

Boland said while the historic preservation was the focus of the work - it was also aimed at taking history a step forward.

“It’s one part history, one part culture,” said Boland. “And one part party-pad.”

This party-pad, however, has one very old soul.

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