Vault #24: WWII Barracks
The Structural Remnants of Fort McDowell’S North Garrison
On the east ridge of the immigration station is an abandoned barracks (South Barracks) built by the US Army during World War II. Photo credit: AIISF, 2019.
Visitors to the Angel Island Immigration Station will notice an unmarked structure standing prominently near the island’s two museums. This soldier barracks was briefly used between 1942 and 1946, when the US Army occupied the site as North Garrison, Fort McDowell.
Measuring 90 by 30 feet, the aging structure was a remarkable feat of army engineering when it was built. The two-story, seven-room barracks is known as an “Army 700 series” style building. The design featured standardized floor plans and prefabricated components. Most notably, this style of barracks could be erected as quickly as one-hour with the record being 54 minutes.
Locating the WWII Barracks
Twenty-one soldier barracks were constructed in 1941 or 1942. In this undated photograph, sixteen barracks can be seen on the ridge at Point Simpton, near the former Angel Island Immigration Station. The army also built roads and pathways connecting the barracks to North Garrison and the island’s main circulation road. Photo credit: Angel Island State Park archives.
Today, the site shows little evidence of the former WWII barracks. A map from August 1946, documented 23 buildings near the North Garrison. Of that number, two were left standing by California State Parks after 1973. Seen above: (A) Detention Barracks Museum, (B) Angel Island Immigration Museum, (1) North Barracks, and (2) South Barracks. The buildings in blue no longer exist.
North Barracks (Building 242)
The North Barracks once stood directly behind the immigration hospital. It was a large barracks (5,340 sq.ft.) with restrooms, shower facilities, a terra cotta chimney, and furnace room. Photo credit: R Dillingham, 2003.
After surviving the conditions on Angel Island for sixty-two years, the North Barracks collapsed sometime between Feb. 2009 and July 2010. Remnants of the structure can still be seen today. Photo credit: AIISF, 2022.
South Barracks (Building 241)
Like the North Barracks, the South Barracks was mothballed and made inaccessible because of safety concerns. Several Monterey pines around it were removed as a precautionary measure. Photo credit: AIISF, 2018.
Since 2021, the South Barracks has shown signs of structural failure. It is one of the last remaining WWII-era buildings at the immigration station. Click here to map its location. Photo credit: AIISF, 2025.
Inside the Barracks
Caption: “Interior of two story barracks at North Garrison, Fort McDowell. Original capacity of 60 has doubled by ‘upside down’ arrangement of beds. This and other barracks have individual oil heating units that maintain uniform temperature through thermostats. August 27, 1942.” Photo credit: Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, Ft. Mason/Oakland Army Base History Collection, GOGA35284.96.
This photograph shows the interior of the South Barracks, taken eighty years after the original 1942 photo. After the building was abandoned in 1946, it was not maintained for public use. Tree damage to the roof left the structure vulnerable to rain and animal intrusion. Today, it is boarded shut for visitors' safety. Photo credit: AIISF, 2022.
The Other Barracks
The other nineteen barracks were demolished in July 1973 by members of the 801st Engineering Company (US Army). This photograph shows the location of the North Garrison’s former consolidated mess hall. Crews bulldozed the barracks and mess hall and removed their concrete foundations so the grounds could be used as a picnic area. Photo credit: California State Parks, 1973.
In 1973, the demolition project director told the San Francisco Chronicle, “We’ve been prohibited from burning here since 1971, and it’s extremely expensive to get this wood moved to the beach and barged away.” So, the decision was made to bury the debris in large pits. The wood from the former barracks was used as fill to provide flat areas for picnickers among the lush surroundings. Photo credit: AIISF, 1998.
Future of the South Barracks
AIISF has been one of Angel Island State Park’s primary fundraising partners, helping save the immigration station’s former detention barracks (1980s) and immigration hospital (2010s). In 2003, there was a master plan developed to address the abandoned buildings at the site. While the North and South Barracks were initially considered for rehabilitation, it seems unlikely the building can be saved from eventual collapse.
The South Barracks on January 4, 2025. Open windows and a partially collapsed roof are visible from a nearby service road. Photo credit: AIISF.