Economic Historic Preservation

Preservation Design Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Historic Preservation

The Transbay archaeology exhibit developed by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) was recognized by the California Preservation Foundation in 2012 with the Preservation Design Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Historic Preservation.

Since its inception in 2011, the exhibit has been hosted by several TJPA transit partners and others, allowing members of the public throughout the Bay Area to view the exhibit’s artifacts and accompanying banners which feature historic context. After initially opening in the lobby of TJPA’s office at 201 Mission Street in San Francisco in December 2011, the exhibit moved to the lobby of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission from April to June 2012; the Alameda–Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) headquarters from June to October 2012; and then Caltrans District 4 headquarters from October 2012 to March 2013. The exhibit is now in the lobby of the TJPA office located in the Salesforce Transit Center at 425 Mission Street in San Francisco.

The exhibit features a variety of items discovered within the footprint of the project site that illuminate the rich history of San Francisco’s gold rush era. Recovered artifacts show the way 19th century residents of the South of Market neighborhood lived, worked and played, including industrial tools, household items and remnants of neighborhood businesses.

Excavation of the Transbay Transit Center site also uncovered a Columbian Mammoth tooth estimated to be approximately 11,000 years old. The tooth was donated to the California Academy of Sciences where it is currently on display. For more information on the tooth and California Academy of Sciences, exhibit click here: California Academy of Sciences Mammoth Tooth Update.

More Information

For more information on the Transbay archaeology exhibit, watch the Board Presentation and download informational PDFs here:

Archaeology Slideshow

We can always learn from our past. Watch a slideshow of the legacy of the Transbay Program in increasing connectivity of the region and evolution of a neighborhood around a world-class transportation hub.
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A Glimpse of the Past, a Vision for the Future

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ARCHAEOLOGY ALBUM: Glimpse of the Past, a Vision for the Future

Learn more about the artifacts with samples from the exhibit.