History of Treasure Island
Treasure Island (T.I.) is a unique community in San Francisco, with a potential to become one of the first environmental sustainable neighborhood, where walking and bicycling are the main modes of transportation and residents are exposed to a healthier living environment.
Treasure Island is a 403-acre man-made island, built by the Army Corps of Engineers over the course of 18 months between 1936 - 1937 to serve as the Golden Gate International Exposition to celebrate the completion of the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridges. After the Exposition, the island was to be used for San Francisco’s first trans-Pacific and transcontinental transporters1. The location was selected because it was accessible to all parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. The island was built on shoals using sand and gravel from the Bay and Sacramento Delta, along with a six foot layer of good topsoil, and connects to Yerba Buena Island between San Francisco and Oakland2. Treasure Island was built under budget, excluding buildings, at $3,808,900.
Golden Gate International Exposition (1936-1940)
The Exposition, otherwise know as the World Fair, brought visitors all across the globe to enjoy the astonishing Mayan and Asian architecture, multiple fountains and garden, and diverse sculptures that represented the Pacific. Multiple countries provided the Exposition with displays, including but not limited to China, Netherlands, El Salvador, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and East Indies. There were a slew of restaurants, theatre, and entertainment including performances by Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Leopold Stokowski3. > Next
1 Lt. Comdr. E.A. McDevitt, USNR. The Naval History of Treasure Island. 1946. Treasure Island, CA.
2 Treasure Island Museum Association. http://www.treasureislandmuseum.org/. 2003. April 25, 2007. Photos: The Museum of the City of San Francisco - Gladys Cox Hansen. 1999.
3 Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Base Realignment and Closure Environmental Technical Division. Historical study of Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island, and their buildings. Mare Island, CA. 1995.