Liberty Station and its Public Market: what to know before you go
It's the former Naval Training Center in Point Loma, closed in 1997 and turned into shops, restaurants, an arts district and a park. Its centerpiece, Liberty Public Market, is a food hall in the base's 1921 commissary.
- Base closed
- 1997
- Market opened
- March 2016
- Site
- 361 acres
Naval Training Center
1921 commissary building
Arts District is 100
The short version
- Liberty Station was the Naval Training Center, authorized in 1919 and commissioned in 1923.
- The 1993 base-closure round slated it for closure; the Navy closed it on April 30, 1997.
- Liberty Public Market opened March 21, 2016 in the base's 35,000-square-foot commissary, built in 1921.
- The redevelopment covers 361 acres, including a 100-acre Arts District with 26 historic buildings and a 46-acre waterfront park.
- It's in Point Loma, minutes from the airport and downtown.
For most of the 20th century, generations of Navy recruits did their basic training on this stretch of Point Loma waterfront. Today the same Spanish Revival buildings hold restaurants, galleries, a food hall and offices, which makes Liberty Station one of the easiest half-days in the city: lots of food, lots of space, and parking that doesn't cost a fortune.
From boot camp to food hall
Wikipedia (Naval Training Center San Diego; Liberty Station); NBC San Diego.
Liberty Public Market
The market opened on March 21, 2016 in the base's former commissary warehouse, built in 1921. It was designed with room for more than 30 vendors and modeled on big-city public markets like Napa's Oxbow and Philadelphia's Reading Terminal. It's the easiest place in San Diego to feed a group that can't agree on dinner.
361 acres
Total site
100 acres
Arts District
46 acres
Waterfront park
What else is there
Three ways to spend the afternoon
| Public Market | Arts District | The park | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What | Food hall with stalls and bars | Galleries, studios and museums in 26 historic buildings | Lawns and a path along the boat channel |
| Good for | Groups with different cravings | A wander after lunch | Kids and dogs |
| Cost | Pay per stall | Mostly free to browse | Free |
Liberty Station sits in Point Loma, about 10 minutes from the airport and downtown. It also makes an easy stop on the way to Cabrillo National Monument or Sunset Cliffs.
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SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
- BackgroundNaval Training Center San Diego
Wikipedia · Checked October 3, 2026
Authorized 1919, commissioned 1923, BRAC 1993, closed April 30, 1997
- BackgroundLiberty Station, San Diego
Wikipedia · Checked October 3, 2026
361 acres, 100-acre Arts District with 26 historic buildings, 46-acre park
NBC 7 San Diego · March 2016
Opening date, 1921 commissary, 35,000 sq ft, capacity for 30+ vendors
- PrimaryWhat is Liberty Station
Liberty Station · Checked October 3, 2026
The site's own description