The fort would be built on the western end of Santa Rosa Island, a low-lying barrier island that provides natural protection to the bay and mainland Florida. Bernard’s changes to Fort Pickens saved money and allowed the nation to more quickly fortify Perdido Key.ĭifferent factors influenced Fort Pickens’s design. Bernard’s study of the channel entering the bay led him to recommend fortifying three places: the western end of Santa Rosa Island, the eastern end of Perdido Key, and the barrancas or bluffs north of the channel. Totten served as the primary designer, but Brigadier General Simon Bernard later made changes. The Board of Engineers for Coastal Fortifications (the Board), part of the US Army Corps of Engineers, created the plans to build Fort Pickens.