The Little-Known Naval History of the Nimitz House
Under the eastern span of the Bay Bridge on Yerba Buena Island, an old mansion connects us to the past.
The Nimitz House on Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco on Oct. 16, 2025, was built around 1900 as part of the Naval Training Station and later became the home of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz during the final years of his life. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
You might not know it, but there’s a grand mansion hiding under the Bay Bridge, and it has deep ties to Yerba Buena’s naval history. For Veteran’s Day, we are bringing back a story reported by our producer Gabriela Glueck for the Bay Curious podcast. We’ll learn more about the house’s namesake, meet a retired Navy officer who used to live there, and understand how the Bay Bridge fits into the picture.
This episode was first published Dec. 4, 2025.
Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.