Shipwright's Cottage, Historic house in India Basin, San Francisco, US
Shipwright's Cottage is a historic residence at 900 Innes Avenue built in Carpenter Gothic and Italianate architectural styles with fir wood framing. The house sits on its original waterfront location and will serve as a visitor center once the surrounding park is complete.
The cottage was built in 1875 as a home for shipwrights who constructed flat-bottomed scow schooners until 1926. One notable resident, John Johnson Dirks, built several vessels here during the height of San Francisco's wooden boat era.
The cottage represents a time when skilled workers built wooden vessels here and shaped the local waterfront community. Walking around the property, you can sense the connection between the craftspeople who lived there and the boats they made.
The cottage sits at the edge of an expanding waterfront park and is easy to reach from Innes Avenue. The site remains somewhat undeveloped, so comfortable walking shoes and awareness of the terrain are helpful for exploring the grounds.
The property preserves one of San Francisco's last remaining natural Bay shorelines, offering a glimpse of how the waterfront looked before development reshaped it. This natural setting attracts migratory birds and provides a contrast to the developed areas nearby.
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