Presidio Park, Historic city park in San Diego, California, United States
Presidio Park is a 40-acre city historic park on a hill above Old Town San Diego, California. It holds the Junípero Serra Museum, built in 1925 in Mission architecture, and a fenced area enclosing the foundations of the chapel and walls of the San Diego Presidio. About 3 km of walking paths cross the grounds.
Presidio Park marks the site where the San Diego Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá were founded in 1769, the first European settlement on the West Coast. The mission moved upriver in 1773, the fort was abandoned and in ruins by 1835, and Fort Stockton was raised there during the Mexican–American War. George Marston bought the hill in 1907 and donated the park to the city in 1929.
The hill was long occupied by the Kumeyaay before 1769. The Serra Museum, built in 1925 in Mission style, is often mistaken for the presidio itself; it displays archaeological finds and objects on Spanish, Mexican and indigenous heritage. The San Diego History Center began here in 1929 before moving to Balboa Park in 1982.
The grounds are open to the public and can be used for weddings and other special events. About 3 km of walking paths cross the hill, with lawns for picnicking. The Serra Museum sits within the park, and a fenced-off area encloses the foundations of the chapel and walls.
The Serra Museum, built in 1925, is often mistaken for the presidio itself, though it was designed by William Templeton Johnson as a museum for the San Diego Historical Society. A fenced area on the hill encloses the foundations of the chapel and fort walls, and the site is occasionally dug for archaeological work.
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