Presidio of San Diego

El Presidio Reál de San Diego (Royal Presidio of San Diego) is a historic fort in San Diego, California. It was established on May 14, 1769, by Commandant Pedro Fages for the Spanish Empire. It was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the present-day United States. As the first of the presidios and Spanish missions in California, it was the base of operations for the Spanish colonization of California. The associated Mission San Diego de Alcalá later moved a few miles away.

Essentially abandoned by 1835, the site of the original Presidio lies on a hill within present-day Presidio Park, although no historic structures remain. The San Diego Presidio was registered as a California Historical Landmark in 1932, then declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

History
Prior to occupation by the Spanish, the site of the Presidio was home to the Kumeyaay people (called the Diegueños by the Spaniards).

San Diego Bay and its environs were first explored by Europeans in 1542 and visited again in 1602, but no settlement was made until the fort was built in May 1769. Later that year, on July 16, 1769, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was established by Junípero Serra on Presidio Hill. The Presidio had a commanding view of San Diego Bay and the ocean, allowing the Spanish to see potential intruders.

Less than a month after the Mission was established, an uprising of Indians occurred; four Spaniards were wounded and a boy was killed. After the attack, the Spaniards built a stockade which was finished in March 1770. It included two bronze cannons: one pointed to the bay, the other to the nearby Indian village. (One of the cannons, El Jupiter, is now in the Serra Museum.)

In 1773 and 1774, adobe structures were built to replace the temporary wood and brush huts. Later in 1774, the Mission was moved a few miles up Mission Valley to separate the Indians from the influence of the presidial garrison. By 1783, there were 54 troops stationed at the presidio.

With Mexican independence in 1821, the Presidio came under Mexican control, and was officially relinquished by the Spanish on April 20, 1822. From 1825-1829, it served as the Mexican Governor's residence. The Presidio was abandoned by 1835 and fell to ruins, because settlers preferred to live in the more accessible town (present-day Old Town San Diego State Historic Park) which developed at the foot of Presidio Hill.

Preservation
In 1907 George Marston, a wealthy department store owner, bought Presidio Hill with an interest to preserve the site. Unable to attract public funding, Marston built a private park in 1925 with the help of architect John Nolen. He also funded Junipero Serra Museum, designed by William Templeton Johnson and built in 1928-29 in Spanish Revival style architecture, to house and showcase the collection of the San Diego Historical Society (now the San Diego History Center). Serra Museum is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Presidio, but in fact nothing remains of the original Presidio. Marston donated the park and museum to the city in 1929. Presidio Park is still owned by the city of San Diego; Serra Museum is managed by the San Diego History Center.

No historical structures remain in Presidio Park today. The Presidio site is occasionally used for archaeological excavations.

There are additional photographs available.