Drive the short distance from Sonoma over to Mare Island, the former top-secret naval base established in 1854 and off-limits to the public for some 150 years, and you’ll find the security guards have left their posts and the gates are open.
At first glance, Mare Island seems quiet, almost desolate. When the shipyard closed in 1996 as part of the Base Realignment and Closures decision, the abandoned area slipped into decay. The hulking vacant warehouses, empty barracks with peeling exteriors, and ugly squat rows of grey concrete bomb shelters are still in evidence and some streets have the eerie quality of a ghost town.
Yet a closer look reveals that Mare Island is actually on the brink of a spectacular planned rebirth.
A new Welcome Center markets the island to prospective businesses and property buyers. New tenants have set up shop, new neighborhoods are rising from the ground, and last month a milestone was reached when the first new homeowners moved in.
The island’s uniqueness, history, strategic location with sweeping vistas of San Pablo Bay and Mt. Tamalpais, and its sheer curiosity value are luring visitors. “We get tourists everyday and it’s increasing everyday,” says Mare Island Historic Park Foundation president Ken Zadwick.
One of the main draws is St. Peter’s Chapel, built in 1901, with its impressive array of Tiffany stained glass windows. Once used exclusively by military families, the chapel is now a popular wedding venue.
Other attractions are the recently refurbished 1892 Mare Island Golf Course, the oldest course west of the Mississippi; and “Officers Row” where in 1900, senior officers built luxurious three-story mansions on a palm shaded avenue.
Hopes are high that Mare Island’s rebirth will in turn revitalize the City of Vallejo.
During the island’s glory days, the military built, launched and repaired some 500 ships, from sailing vessels to nuclear submarines. The whole community was tied to the base and its closure sent the City of Vallejo’s economy into a slump. 
“Our local economy lost our star player,” recalls Rick Wells, president of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce. “With the closure came the loss of thousands of jobs.”
The city formed a committee to create a reuse plan and chose Lennar Mare Island (LMI) as master developer. In 2002, the Navy transferred 650-acres of Mare Island to the city, which in turn transferred it to LMI, and the redevelopment effort began. LMI plans to invest $260 million in project, and has currently invested $50 million.
The vision is to create a vibrant, mixed-use community that will be an economic engine for the City of Vallejo. Wells says the project is complete; the annual tax generated by the portion currently being developed by LMI will put an additional $7 million per year into the city’s general fund.
Over 12 years, LMI plans to create 8,000 jobs, 7 million square feet of commercial space, 1,400 homes, plus open space and recreational areas.
“We’re well on the way,” says LMI spokesman Jason Keadjian. So far the effort has created 2,000 jobs and 2 million square feet of retail space, and has brought in about 70 new businesses.
New residential neighborhoods are forming where military housing once existed. There are plans for various home styles, however LMI is currently marketing higher end detached houses. So far 113 homes have been sold and 12 families have moved in.
“These folks are pioneers,” says Keadjian. “Many families purchased their homes sight unseen because they share in the vision of what Mare Island will ultimately become in the next 10 to 12 years.” The community currently has very few services on hand but supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants and other amenities are planned.
One of the project’s main challenges is the environmental clean up necessary since navy operations left behind contaminants, including PCBs, metals, and petroleum products. The clean up is a joint effort between LMI’s environmental consultant CM2M HILL, the Navy, the State of California and the City of Vallejo. It involves nine investigation areas. Keadjian says the State has so far signed off three of the areas as safe.
Another challenge is balancing the island’s history with its rejuvenation. “We don’t want people to think they’re driving onto a navy base,” says Todd Berryhill, LMI project manager. “There are different historic layers we try to interpret every day.” For example, Lennar will keep a representation of the bomb shelters to preserve a taste of the history of Mare Island.
The huge granite 1916 dry dock will be part of a planned 60-acre historic core and tourist destination area, boasting a waterfront promenade “reminiscent of San Francisco’s Embarcadero,” featuring loft-style homes, cafes, shops, galleries and a proposed new ferry terminal to San Francisco.
This district will also feature a 47,000 square foot maritime museum operated by the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation. The museum is currently undergoing retrofitting in preparation, but is open by appointment.
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According to historians, the region now known as Mare Island was home to the Native American Patwin Tribe and their presence dates back 2000 years.
When European settlers discovered the region in 1775, they named it “Isla Plana,” or Flat Island. Later, in 1835 General Mariano Vallejo renamed the island “Isla de la Yegua,” or Mare Island. According to lore, Vallejo named the island for his white mare, which fell overboard from a barge during a journey across the Carquinez Strait. The horse appeared ashore days later.
In 1852, Commander John Drake Sloat proposed that Mare Island’s 800 acres be purchased to establish the first naval yard and ammunition depot on the Pacific Coast. A year later, the Navy bought 956 acres on the island from General Vallejo, and a year after that the Mare Island Naval Yard began to support the United States Navy Fleet with David Farragut as commanding officer.
In 1859, the first ship was built at Mare Island, a wooden vessel named the Saginaw. The island continued to see growth during the following 35 years. Captains brought an array of trees back from exotic ports of call, resulting in the island’s wide variety of horticulture. Mare Island’s Naval Hospital was built in 1869, and Mare Island’s Golf Course was built in 1892.
An 1898 earthquake caused damage to the island and Walnut Avenue was subsequently rebuilt with the elegant white Italianate mansions that are still there today. St. Peter’s Chapel, now the country’s oldest naval chapel, was dedicated in 1901.
Another earthquake, this time the Great Quake of 1906, resulted in many San Franciscans being evacuated to Mare Island.
The island’s formidable naval history began taking shape in 1911 when Mare Island Shipyard built the Navy’s first aircraft landing platform on the deck of the Pennsylvania. A year later, Mare Island launched Jupiter, later to become the Navy’s first aircraft carrier and renamed the USS Langley. In 1918 Mare Island set a WWI record for shipbuilding speed.
In 1930, the shipyard launched its first submarine, Nautilus, and its first cruiser, Chicago. However, it was during 1939 and 1944 that Mare Island really excelled. During WWII, the shipyard reached its highest productivity level, and its workforce peaked at 41,000 employees, making Mare Island one of the busiest shipyards in the world.
The shipyard continued to flourish and marked its 100th anniversary in 1954. In 1975, the National Parks Service designated 45 Mare Island buildings as historic landmarks.
By 1988 the Mare Island workforce totaled about 10,000 employees. It was the second largest Navy Yard in the United States – but changes were on the horizon.
Iin 1993, Mare Island was included on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s closure list. President Bill Clinton approved the recommendation, which was then accepted by Congress.
The City of Vallejo then started to make plans for the island’s future. The Mare Island Final Reuse Plan was adopted, and a Restoration Advisory Board was established to oversee clean up.
When Mare Island Naval Shipyard officially closed on April 1, 1996, plans were already in place to convert the former base to civilian use. In 1997, the city selected Lennar Mare Island as the master developer for the island’s reuse plan and redevelopment began.
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