Fort Funston

Fort Funston occupies windswept headlands above Ocean Beach on San Francisco’s Pacific side, where a former coastal defense post evolved from the Lake Merced Military Reservation acquired in 1900. Major construction began after U.S. entry into World War I, and the site was renamed for Major General Frederick N. Funston. Its defenses progressed from early mortar and gun batteries to Battery Davis, built in 1936–1939 with two 16-inch naval guns that pioneered a casemated design against air attack and introduced the Army’s M2 carriage. After later anti-aircraft and Nike missile use, the fort closed in 1963 and became parkland known for trails, wildlife, dunes, and recreation.

San Francisco, California · United States