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The rehabilitation and interior redesign of Fort Barry Building 960, completed in February 1999, represents the largest adaptive reuse project in Headlands Center for the Arts’ (Headlands) history and continues Headlands’ tradition of artfully converting historic military buildings for contemporary use. This beautifully restored artists’ studio building is also the crown jewel of the Headlands’ ongoing $2-million capital campaign to upgrade the entire campus.
Artist Leonard Hunter and his crew of artists/craftsmen, in collaboration with architect Mark Cavagnero, dramatically transformed Building 960's interior to accommodate writers, visual and interdisciplinary artists, while the building's historic structure and exterior have been accurately restored. The interior features intricate custom metal work and a strong contextual reference to the surrounding landscape. New exterior siding and a fresh coat of paint artfully conceal the extensive structural work and the new plywood frame applied by a professional contractor -- choices that both satisfied seismic code regulations and freed the lead designers from having to alter the building's historic wood-frame interior, giving them full artistic license in the redesign.
Like the earlier, much-admired commissioned renovations in Headlands’ Building 944 -- led by renowned artists David Ireland and Ann Hamilton, designers Bruce Tomb and John Randolph, and architect Mark Mack -- the rehabilitation of Building 960 was carried out by a crew comprised largely of artists and was guided by a commitment to honor the site's rich military history and the beauty of the natural environment. In fact, the National Park Service mandated that the renovations take place in such a way that at any time the building could be brought back to its original state. Hunter and Cavagnero built impressive walls and a staircase using a bolting system that can be dismantled at a moment’s notice.
Fort Barry Building 960 is a three-level, wood frame, 11,800 square foot former U.S. Army Quarter Master's Building that sat vacant for decades until late spring, 1998. Headlands acquired Buildings 960, 961 and 962 -- together known as "the Three Sisters" -- in 1994 when it signed a 20-year lease agreement with the National Park Service. The agreement calls for renovation and code compliance of all nine Headlands buildings in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and was also the impetus to vacate three buildings at Fort Cronkite by Rodeo Beach that had formerly housed the Affiliate Artist program.
Building 960 now houses Headlands’ Affiliate program – a subsidized studio rental program for local artists working in a range of disciplines – as well as three studios for Artists-in-Residence. By offering rented studio space for up to two years, the Affiliate Artist program provides approximately 20 local artists with a place for self-directed investigation and an opportunity to engage with the 30+ local, national and international Artists-in-Residence who live on site each year.
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