Treasure Island is an artificial island
in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland.
It is connected by a small isthmus to Yerba Buena Island.
It was created in 1939 for the "Golden Gate International
Exposition" by dredging fill from the bay.
Treasure Island is entirely within the City and County
of San Francisco, whose territory extends far into
San Francisco Bay and to the tip of the island of
Alameda, California.
The island has a raised walkway which circumnavigates
almost its entire bulk, which is popular for recreation.
Sea lions can be observed in the water from the shoreline,
and construction of the new eastern span of the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge can be observed from
the eastern part of the island.
History
Treasure Island was built with imported fill on shoals
on the north side of Yerba Buena Island for the Expo
in 1939. The island sits in the "middle"
of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Built by
the federal government, Treasure Island was planned
for and used as an airport for Pan American Airline's
Pacific Rim service of flying boats, of which the
China Clipper is an example. After the World's Fair
1939–40 exhibition, the island was scheduled
to be used as an airport when the Navy offered to
exchange Mills Field on the San Francisco Peninsula
near the city of Millbrae for the island. The City
and County of San Francisco accepted the swap, and
the airport was built at Mills Field.
During World War II Treasure Island became part of
the Treasure Island Naval Base, and served largely
as an electronics and radio communications training
school, and as the major Navy departure point for
sailors in the Pacific.
In 1996 Treasure Island and the Presidio Army Base
were decommissioned and opened to public control,
under stipulations. Treasure Island is now part of
District 6 of the City and County of San Francisco,
though it is still owned by the Navy.
The Treasure Island Museum is a Streamline Moderne-styled
remnant of the World's Fair and is one of the few
buildings remaining from the exposition. Today it
serves largely as offices for The Villages, a private
apartment rental agency. The former housing for officers
and their families is rented out to the general public,
pending redevelopment and reconstruction of buildings
on the island, slated for 2008.
A substantial part of the island is undergoing environmental
cleanup by the federal government.
