Treasure Island Museum

Treasure Island Museum Our mission is to tell the story of Treasure Island and its unique role in the Bay Area. Please check our website for updates and a schedule of activities!

The original museum was located in the lobby of Building One on Treasure Island. It began as and officially remained a Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard museum, but over the years its collecting and exhibiting areas included the colorful span of Treasure Island's "life story," including the building of the island, the Bay Bridge, the China Clipper flying boats, Yerba Buena Island, and especially the G

olden Gate International Exposition, for which Treasure Island was built in 1937-1938. The museum was shut down when the Navy closed Naval Station Treasure Island in 1997. Thanks to the persistence of a group of volunteers, in all likelihood a new museum will emerge when Treasure Island redevelopment gets underway. In the meantime, TIMA has installed a free exhibit in the lobby of Building One which tells the story of Treasure Island. The Treasure Island Museum Association also hosts tours of the island and participates in programs around the Bay Area.

If you are NOT a fan of large crowds, there are some dates you might want to avoid when planning to visit Treasure Islan...
05/26/2026

If you are NOT a fan of large crowds, there are some dates you might want to avoid when planning to visit Treasure Island and the museum.

The city is hosting large music events in front of Building One that will complicate transit, parking, access to the building - and, in turn, access to the museum - on these upcoming dates:

Saturday, June 6
Sunday, June 7
Saturday, June 13

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

"Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause." ~ Abraham Lincoln
05/25/2026

"Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Treasure Island Building One will be open tomorrow and Sunday, but the building (and, in turn, our galleries and the TIM...
05/22/2026

Treasure Island Building One will be open tomorrow and Sunday, but the building (and, in turn, our galleries and the TIM office) will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

The Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939 and 1940 reintroduced San Francisco as a vacation de...
05/21/2026

The Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939 and 1940 reintroduced San Francisco as a vacation destination in the aftermath of the Great Depression. During the fair, the city's Convention and Tourist Bureau launched a campaign to attract visitors, investment, and new residents; it included posters like the one from our collection seen here.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Navy took complete possession of Treasure Island “for the duratio...
05/19/2026

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Navy took complete possession of Treasure Island “for the duration of the war and for five years thereafter.” The island’s location, in the middle of a harbor with a sheltered lagoon, as well as its proximity to the Pacific, made Naval Station Treasure Island a significant training station and point of departure for over fifty years.

This image is from a series of Navy Education/Recruitment slides in our collection - it and others like it are featured in this short video created by one of our interns: https://youtu.be/S-Mxgjp0tKU

Our curator's tour on June 6 has been cancelled. We have just learned that a huge music event in front of Building One t...
05/17/2026

Our curator's tour on June 6 has been cancelled. We have just learned that a huge music event in front of Building One that afternoon would complicate every aspect (transit, parking, public access, etc.).

Watch for announcements (here and on our website) of upcoming free public programs, including future tours of our galleries, archives, and historic Building One.

Friend of the museum Raymond Mueller knew that scenes in the Netflix miniseries The OA were filmed in Treasure Island Bu...
05/15/2026

Friend of the museum Raymond Mueller knew that scenes in the Netflix miniseries The OA were filmed in Treasure Island Building One - in it's observation tower, in fact. He did some Googling and came across an online publication (by the Set Decorators Society of America) that included this image - the space high atop the building transformed into a trendy office with views of Clipper Cove.

A quarter million people drive across Yerba Buena and past Treasure Island every day, but few are familiar with the isla...
05/12/2026

A quarter million people drive across Yerba Buena and past Treasure Island every day, but few are familiar with the islands’ unique history. People have questions and turn to the museum for answers.

In addition to our detailed timeline feature (installed in Building One and available online), we have drafted these answers to frequently asked questions to share with new residents, island visitors, and those who follow us online: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1asoXPNT6w-RikvCt4bizMrttWMXnjZu-/view

Join us on Saturday, June 6 at noon for a free, hour-long tour of Building One, the museum's galleries, and our current ...
05/08/2026

Join us on Saturday, June 6 at noon for a free, hour-long tour of Building One, the museum's galleries, and our current exhibition of works by artists featured at the Golden Gate International Exposition. A limited number of spaces are available; reservations required.

Click here for details and tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988930028255?aff=oddtdtcreator

Address

39 Treasure Island Road
San Francisco, CA
94130

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 7pm
Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 7pm
Sunday 10am - 7pm

Telephone

+14154138462

Website

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