History

Located on historic Fort Miley, the Golden Gate National Recreational Area surrounds San Francisco VA Medical Center. Fort Miley served as a semaphore signal location, safely guiding ships during the Gold Rush. In 1893, the U.S. Army designated the site as a defense battery, and was later named “Reservation at Point Lobos.” The U.S. Army charged Lieutenant Colonel John D. Miley with installing defense guns throughout the San Francisco Bay. In 1900, after his death, the site’s name changed to Fort Miley in his honor.

Shortly after its establishment in 1930, Veterans Administration (VA) in 1931, chose Fort Miley as the site for a new hospital. We officially opened on November 11, 1934, with 25 staff doctors, 340 beds, including 12 for women, and a 36-bed diagnostic center. The cost of the new hospital was $1.25 million. In 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led to the reactivation of the Fort Miley batteries. On December 11, 1941,  because of the possibility of an air attack on San Francisco, the hospital was forced to evacuate its 300 Veteran patients. Surrounded by mobile guns, the hospital and Fort Miley remained on alert throughout the remainder of World War II. In 1946, patients were finally allowed to return to our hospital and the Fort Miley batteries  decommissioned.