Life Saver

The life saving service station, located within the west wing of the Golden Gate Park happened to be the first on the California coastline. Now merged with the U.S. Coast Guard, it stood at the northwest corner of the park and adjacent to the Dutch Windmill.

According to Christopher Pollock, the author of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the former United States Life-Saving service was dedicated on August 13, 1878. This spectacular piece, was one of the parks first life saving station compounds consisting of a water tower, a boathouse, and the keeper's house.

Photo: U.S Life Saving Service Heritage Association

The boathouse, a one and a half story wood-frame Stick Eastlake-style structure, was a variation of a station design common along both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. However, the purpose of the service was to rescue survivors from the frequent ship wrecks. A replacement compound on the same site survived until 1951 when, having outlived its usefulness, it was decommissioned.