Wander onto the parade ground of Fort Scott, and one of the first questions that comes to mind is: "What is this place?" A large grassy field is bordered by tall beige buildings with red roofs. Their windows are boarded up and the place feels deserted. It's particularly odd because Fort Scott is just steps away from epic views over the Golden Gate Bridge, a well-traveled cycling path, and one of the biggest thoroughfares running through the park. But none of that bustle seems to reach this collection of empty buildings. What's the history of this place and why isn't being put to more modern use? In this episode KQED's Bianca Taylor takes us into the history of Fort Scott.

Additional reading:

• Web story: The Hidden History of Fort Scott in San Francisco's Presidio
• Read the transcript for this episode
• Sign up for our newsletter
• Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.