Montgomery Street Barracks and Military - November 30, 1897 - Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives Historic Montgomery Street Barracks Historic Army Marching Band And Montgomery Street Barracks

The Iconic Montgomery Street Barracks

Infantry Row

The Lodge at the Presidio is housed in the iconic Montgomery Street Barracks built between 1895-1897 by the US Army to house six artillery companies, a cavalry troop, and two infantry companies. The historic streetscape was later dubbed “Infantry Row.” This construction was part of a wave of improvements and changes made across the Presidio in the 1890s, corresponding with its rise in importance as a military post. By the end of 1897, the Presidio was one of the five largest Army posts in the country with over 900 men and officers living there, almost twice the size of the garrison a decade earlier.

During the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the Philippine-American War in 1899, the building was used for hospital wards. During World War I, it operated as housing for students in the Reserve Officers Training Camps held at the Presidio to prepare new junior officers for the rapidly expanding Army. For most of the period between World War I and World War II, it was the home to companies of the 30th Infantry Regiment, “San Francisco’s Own.” In 1980, enlisted personnel ceased using the building as barracks. During the 1980s, the building was renovated for FEMA occupancy until 2000.