Mare Island

Established in 1854, Mare Island Naval Shipyard is the oldest Naval installation in the Pacific and much of the developed portions of the Island have been designated as a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation bestowed by the National Park Service on a historic resource. Other National Historic Landmarks in California include the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, Balboa Park in San Diego and the Presidio in San Francisco.

National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. Working with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff who work to nominate new landmarks and provide assistance to existing landmarks.

Just before the shipyard closure in March 1996, many of the buildings on Mare Island turned 50 years old, which led to a stringent review process to qualify them for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. A total of 500 buildings on Mare Island are now eligible for the National Register and contribute to the National Landmark designation, yet, only 50 are currently listed.

Among the listed buildings, is St. Peter's Chapel, now, the oldest naval chapel. Dedicated in October, 1901, the chapel houses the most Tiffany stained-glass in a single site, west of the Mississippi. Sixteen of the stained-glass memorial panes are signed Tiffany Studio works and the other stained glass windows in the Chapel are designed by Tiffany. This amazing collection of glass, combined with exquisitely detailed brass and carved wooden plaques, make the opportunity to view the Chapel during the Flyway Festival, a rare treat, indeed!

St. Peter's Chapel is nestled amongst extensively landscaped grounds and "Captain's Row", an outstanding array of turn-of-the-century mansions. If you wish to experience these mansions in all their glory, join local volunteers for the  7th Annual Daffodil Tea planned March 30, 2008. There are two tea seating that day. Each seating includes a program of music and history in the Chapel. The first Chapel program starts at 10am followed by a 12 noon tea seating. The second Chapel program begins at 1pm accompanied by a 3pm tea seating in Quarters C, 832 Walnut Ave. on Mare Island in Vallejo. Tickets are $30. Call 707-649-9464 or 707-557-9816 to request information and make reservations. All proceeds from this year's Daffodil Tea will be used to inform the public about St. Peter's Chapel and its stunning Tiffany glass collection-with nearly 400 documented cracks in the glass-the priceless art is in desperate need of conservation. The Chapel will be open that day to the public free of charge 11:30am-12:45pm.

Anna Key Turner, the daughter of Francis Scott Key, the author of our national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, is buried in a white, picket-fenced military cemetery on the slopes of the Island's highest point on the southern end of the Island. You may visit the graveyard where Anna Turner and her family and hundreds of other naval personnel from the U.S., as well as other countries, are buried by taking our Sierra Club led walk or our carpool tours to the top of Mare Island's hill.

The Festival offers an opportunity to take-in the breath taking vistas of San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait from the vantage point of the hill, which with the shoreline below, is slated to become the Mare Island Natural and Historical Regional Park. The eastern shoreline of the park at the mouth of the Napa River is not yet accessible, but the oldest structures remaining on Mare Island, ordnance magazines, part of the Ordnance Production Manufacturing Area, dating back to 1857, are preserved there. These are just a very few examples of the incredible national historical and cultural wealth represented by Mare Island.

Mare Island consists of 5,657 acres, including 3,075 acres of tidal and non-tidal wetlands that provide habitat for many wetland dependent species, including the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse. Of that acreage, less than a 1000 acres was developed for the mixed uses of the former shipyard now being converted to public use by the Island's developers.

History of the Flyway Festival and Building 505

At one time pigeons were used as messengers between Mare Island and naval activities at Yerba Buena Island. The work of pigeons in early communications was later replaced by the first wireless station or "radio shack" on the Pacific Coast. Mare Island became the hub of Pacific radio communications by 1915. To meet the increasing demand for Pacific communications, Building 505 was built in 1940. Eligible for listing on the National Register, it is reported that through this facility, the mainland learned of the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. The Radio Station gradually fell out of use, although it was used as a retail store prior to the base closure in 1996.

It is hoped that it may one day enter a new era of communications when a local non-profit organization acquires the 21,000 square foot building to convert it to an environmental education and interpretive center, for the entire Bay Area. As the only center of its kind in the North Bay, serving over 2 million residents and countless visitors, the San Pablo Bay Discovery Center will serve as a vital connection between wildlife resources and the communities of this region.

Twelve years ago this month, the U.S. Navy hosted our first environmental education and family oriented migration celebration for 4 hours on a Saturday morning at Building 505 on Mare Island.

Those who joined with us during our first years at Building 505, will never forget the garish fluorescent green, bubblegum pink and bright blue colors we inherited from the combination garden supply/lawn mower sales, laundromat and barber shop. Still, the building has great light and space and the radio station call letters NPG with a graphical radio signal remain inlaid in brass in the terrazzo entrance floor.

Despite its derelict appearance, people from throughout the region and beyond flocked to Building 505 - a place now indelibly imprinted in our minds and dreams. Why?

A hand-full of Navy employees, community members and National Wildlife Refuge staff envisioned Building 505 as the hub of a new era of communications. They worked tirelessly year after year, with at first school children writing the charming letters that graced the entrance walls of early Festivals and later with the growing support of Festival attendees who sat down and wrote letters to their Congressional Representatives, the Mayor of Vallejo and others urging that this building be transferred and utilized by the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge for multiple environmental education and administrative uses.

Building 505 is located at the northwestern edge of the Naval base, entirely surrounded by non-tidal, seasonal wetlands. From it's third floor viewing tower known as the "penthouse" one can experience magnificent 360 degree vistas, including Mt. Diablo to the south and San Pablo Bay, the largest of the bays which make up the San Francisco Bay Estuary stretching toward Mt. Tamalpais to the west.

To the north is a view of the San Pablo Baylands, the expansive labyrinth of tidal sloughs and agricultural lands, woven together with Sonoma Creek and the Napa River, which extend towards the mountains that create the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. The city of Vallejo is visible to the east.

Although our Festival headquarters moved across the street to allow preliminary work to be done on Building 505 by the National Wildlife Refuge staff, Building 505 continues to welcome visitors during our Festival.

From Building 505, a self-guided wetland walk with 9 learning stations, many with naturalists and viewing scopes, is offered during the Festival.

Building 505 still serves as a beacon, reminding the community to never forget the dreams envisioned for its future. It silently reminds us that it is the place in which many of us first connected with the teeming wild places in our own backyard, where we first learned something we never knew about our precious environment, where we first thrilled at seeing native birds eye to eye. It's a place where many dedicated people have joined to share their passion for wildlife and, as a result, have been inspired to lend a helping hand in protection of our natural world.

For the 12 years since we began opening its doors and transforming it-for a few hours-into a celebration of the natural treasures which surround us, I believe it has been, and hope it will continue to be, a catalyst for environmental awareness and natural resource stewardship for the people who live near the north shores of San Francisco Bay.

The plans to transfer Building 505 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the U.S. Navy fell through sometime ago. Now, we are inviting you back to the table to write yet another round of letters to the Mayor and City Council of Vallejo and your Congressional Representative as well as Congressman George Miller who represents Mare Island, asking that we as a non-profit organization representing a number of partner organizations be allowed to continue the renovation of Building 505 for use as the dreamed of permanent San Pablo Bay Discovery Center and a permanent home for the Flyway Festival. Eight years ago lead paint in the soil was cleaned-up and the pilings were checked for structure integrity, giving the green light for more substantial revitalization of the building. Progress is slow, but motivation from the regional community in need, remains high. So, stop by the Building 505-Rekindle the Dream letter writing table and join us Saturday evening, February 2, 2008, 5-6pm for a Building 505 Rekindle the Dream Sunset Viewing, Champagne Toast and Owl Prowl.

For more history of the Flyway Festival, see the Contact Us page.