Centennial

Liberty Station turned 100 in 2023!  Liberty Station has become a model and standard for the Navy and San Diego, first as a premiere Naval Training Center from 1923-1997 to a successful adaptive rehabilitation project called Liberty Station. Dedicated as Naval Training Station on October 27, 1923, the Station reached its wartime peak of 33,000 personnel housed in temporary type wood frame and stucco structures in 1942.  The Secretary of the Navy changed the name (to Naval Training Center) in 1944 due to the addition of schools for the facility.  Originally the base was 235 acres and expanded to 550 acres in 1993 showcasing 300 buildings and approximately 3 million square feet of space.  Women first came to NTC in May 1943.  More than 1.75 million recruits and 1 million A and C school sailors graduated from the NTC over the years of operation.

After the closure, the historic portion of NTC San Diego was registered by the National Park Service and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The designation preserved buildings constructed between 1921 and 1949 and include 49 buildings.In 2001, the Corky McMillin Companies broke ground on Liberty Station.  Through the development of new buildings and the adaptive reuse and renovation of the historic buildings the Project now spans 365 acres with over 1.5m SF of commercial uses, 350 homes with over 100 acres of open space and promenades, including the second largest waterfront park in the City, NTC Park which spans 46 Acres. Liberty Station houses a wide range of facilities and businesses including 51+ restaurants (most locally owned), 30+ retail shops, 30+ resident artists, four hotels, five schools, The Rock Church, 27 holes of golf (including miniature), 380,000 square feet of office space and a new performing art center coming in 2024.

As part of the centennial celebration, Liberty Station honored the stories of NTC recruits. Watch their stories come to life HERE.  Walk along Liberty Station’s grounds and learn about its rich history by doing our Walk Back Through Time.

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