• Home
• Initiatives
• From Post to Park: A Fort with a View

Bookmark this Page

Print

From Post to Park: A Fort with a View

Bank of America's lending and investments have helped transform a historic U.S. military post into an environmentally advanced resort hotel and conference center in the heart of an expanded national park.

The story began more than a century ago, in the late 1890s and early years of the 20th century, when the United States made sweeping improvements to modernize its coastal fortifications. Among those seacoast fortresses was Fort Baker, a 335-acre U.S. Army post strategically located on the north side of the Golden Gate near Sausalito, California.

After nearly a century as a military post, Fort Baker was formally transferred from the U.S. Army to the National Park Service in 2002, where it became part of the expanded Golden Gate National Parks system.

At the heart of Fort Baker is a collection of historic Army buildings clustered around the former military parade grounds. As a result of a unique partnership involving Fort Baker Retreat Group/Equity Community Builders, a local developer; the National Park Service; and the non-profit Golden Gate National Park Conservancy, the structures are now part of Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate. The Lodge is a 45-acre resort hotel and educational retreat. The resort includes 68 historic and 74 contemporary guest rooms and suites that offer stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands. Passport Resorts, which is internationally known for operating award-winning resorts that promote environmental and social responsibility, is managing this unique project.

Bank of America provided the financing that enabled this historic area to be converted into the 21st century's first new national park lodge. Our involvement included a $49 million commercial real estate construction loan; a $317,000 solar tax credit equity investment for the purchase and installation of solar equipment; and a $12.2 million historic tax credit equity investment. The conversion and rehabilitation, which included the re-use of historic materials, restoration of native plants and numerous green building elements, was designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold^TM certification and the developer is working to meet the Green Seal Environmental Standard for U.S. Lodging Properties. The Cavallo Point lodge will also be home to the new Institute at the Golden Gate, an environmental program of the nonprofit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in partnership with the National Park Service. The Institute connects scientists, policy makers, youth activists, nonprofit and business leaders in collaborative action related to advances in environmental preservation and global sustainability.

The historic restoration of Fort Baker is more than a beautiful resort and recreation destination; it also contributed to the community with the creation of 250 permanent jobs at the lodge, of which 90 percent provide employment for low- and moderate-income individuals.