The only art store in the country located within a national park, our San Francisco store at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture is guaranteed to delight and inspire. Come fulfill your creative desires and stimulate your imagination.
Thousand of items to stimulate your creativity! (see our brands)
Sign up for our popular Urban Sketching class here!
Getting Here
Our San Francisco store is located at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, a destination in itself within the Golden Gate National Recreation Center.
Address: Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd, Bldg D, San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-530-3510
Public Transit: We are an 8 minute walk off the MUNI 30 Stockton line.
Driving: Expansive parking lot!
Hours
Monday - Saturday, 9:30am - 6:00pm
Sunday, 10:00am - 6:00pm
About - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) is a nonprofit operating within a national park, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This former military installation hosts nearly two dozen nonprofit and arts organizations as permanent residents, and over over 1.2 million annual visitors. Hundreds of events occur each year on campus that include theater and dance performances, art installations, and special experiences that draw international interest. FMCAC has retained the industrial integrity of the landmark structures while creating a dynamic hub for arts activities and inviting places for visitors to shop and dine.
History - Fort Mason's use as a coastal artillery post began in 1863, when the army established Black Point Battery. Rodman cannons were installed to defend gold-rich San Francisco against potential Confederate attack during the Civil War. By the early 20th century, Fort Mason was transformed into a logistical and transport hub for the U.S. Army. They constructed massive piers and storehouses at the waterfront connected by a system of railway spurs to support the needs of new U.S. military outposts on the Philippines, Hawaii, and various Pacific Islands. From the 1920s through World War II, the San Francisco Port of Embarkation played a critical role in the movement of supplies and troops to the Pacific. During World War II, 1,600,000 American soldiers and 23.5 million tons of supplies left these piers for the war in the Pacific.
In 1972, the San Francisco Port of Embarkation was listed as a National Historic Landmark. The National Park Service took over the administration of the site in the 1970s as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. FMCAC was established in 1977.
Today - Flax is located in Building D, one of the four warehouse buildings completed in 1915. Before opening our store in November 2015, we removed sheetrock and flooring and decades of clutter to expose the original surfaces, windows and doors. Our store space remodel was the first in FMC to retain the building's character and embrace its status as a historical landmark. Look above our glass storefront and you'll see the hinged canopy-style warehouse door in its full open position. It and the other warehouse doors remain fully operational. To learn more about Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, visit their website here, and view the video below that presents the vision and purpose of the Center, a jewel within the Golden Gate National Park system. We encourage you to subscribe to their events newsletter (click here). You can also discover Fort Mason Center through a self-guided walking tour available on the Parks Conservancy website. You can start at Upper Fort Mason and end at FLAX!
