Built between 1853 and 1861, Fort Point, called “the pride of the Pacific,” “the Gibraltar of the West Coast,” and “one of the most perfect models of masonry in America” has stood guard at the narrows of the Golden Gate for nearly 150 years.  Although its guns never fired a shot in anger, the “Fort at Fort Point” as it was originally named has tremendous significance due to its military history, its architecture, and its association with maritime history.  In the years after the Civil War, Fort Point became underutilized and was used intermittently as an army barracks.  The pre-Civil War cannons, so valuable when they were originally installed, became obsolete and were eventually removed.  The structure survived the 1906 Earthquake and Fire that destroyed all of Downtown, and later the 1989 Earthquake that damaged much of the nearby Marina District. During World War I, the Army remodeled Fort Point for use as a detention barracks, though the building was never ultimately used for that purpose. In 1926 the American Institute of Architects proposed preserving the fort for its outstanding military architecture. Funds were unavailable, and the ideas languished. During the 1920s, the property was used by the Presidio for housing unmarried officers and different military trade schools.  In the late 1930s, plans for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge also involved plans for the demolition of Fort Point.  Fortunately, Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss recognized the architectural value of the Fort and engineered an arch which allowed the construction of the bridge to occur safely over the Fort.  During World War II, it was used as temporary housing for soldiers. In 1959, a group of retired military officers and civilian engineers created the Fort Point Museum Association and lobbied for its creation as a National Historic Site.  On October 16, 1970, Fort Point became a National Historic Site.  It is now a museum, open to the public free of charge.