Pumping Station No. 2 San Francisco Fire Department Auxiliary Water Supply System

Pumping Station Number 2 stands at the northern edge of the Fort Mason historic district as a permanent guard against the city's greatest historical fear. Completed in 1913, the building was designed as a direct response to the catastrophic failure of the municipal water supply during the 1906 earthquake and fire, when over three hundred water main breaks left firefighters unable to stop the inferno that consumed most of the city. This station functions as a critical intake point for the Auxiliary Water Supply System. In the event of a major disaster that cripples the city's primary freshwater pipes, this facility can instantly begin pumping unlimited saltwater directly from the San Francisco Bay into a dedicated high-pressure network of hydrants and mains. It remains a rare example of early twentieth-century defensive engineering that continues to serve its original, life-saving purpose today.