Why are the Presidio military cemetery (San Francisco National Cemetery) and the Presidio pet cemetery still intact?
The two cemeteries were located on federal land, and not subject to local laws. The Presidio was decommissioned as a military area, and has been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area since 1994. The San Francisco National Cemetery is managed by the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The nonprofit organization Swords to Plowshares is the official caretaker of the pet cemetery. Why is the Columbarium still allowed to take cremated remains? Once part of the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery, The San Francisco Columbarium was, for unknown reasons, neither dismantled nor maintained after the bodies were removed from the surrounding cemetery in the 1930s. Over time, the Columbarium passed through various hands and fell into disrepair until the early 1980s, when it was purchased by the Neptune Society. It has been meticulously restored since this time. While there are laws banning burial of bodies and cremation within city limits, there is no specific ban on the housing of cremated
