This weekend, I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Treasure Island Museum Association. They had a booth at this year's Dragon Boat Races, so I got to meet and hang out with board member Walt Bilofsky as well as others with a passion for the island and the world's fair.
Here in San Francisco, we have some really great institutions. When I first moved here in 1995, I was eager to check out all three world's fair sites: the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park (site of the 1894 California Mid-Winter Exposition), the Marina and the Palace of Fine Arts (the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition), and Treasure Island (the 1939-'40 Golden Gate International Exposition).
My first stop at Treasure Island was to the Treasure Island Museum, which chronicled the history of the island from its creation in the late 1930's (it's all landfill!), to it's role hosting the GGIE, and to its subsequent use as a naval base. Sadly, when the Navy moved out in 1997, the museum closed with it since the US Navy owned the artifacts. However, the Treasure Island Museum Association lives on.
With the imminent handover of the island from the Navy to the City and County of San Francisco, the island is slaved to be completely redeveloped. Along with that are plans to re-open the Treasure Island Museum as an event greater institution.
Click here to find out more about the Treasure Island Museum Association.
