Francisco Park is a public park in the Russian Hill neighborhood in San Francisco, California, on the site of a former reservoir. The accessible park has a large lawn, a community garden, a playground, and a dog run. It opened in 2022.
| Francisco Park | |
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,_July_2023.jpg) Francisco Park in July 2023 | |
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| Location | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°48′14″N 122°25′16″W / 37.8039°N 122.4210°W |
| Area | 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) |
| Established | April 27, 2022 |
| Operated by | San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department |
History
editThe Francisco Reservoir, the first in San Francisco, was established on the site in 1860 and was decommissioned in 1940 following the establishment of the Lombard Street reservoir, and shut down in 1966.[1][2] The property then sat unused until 2014, when the city Board of Supervisors voted to hand over the property from the utility district to the city's Recreation and Parks Department. The park was then built by Francisco Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization supported by the donations from the neighbors and community, and finally gifted to the City in 2022. It opened on April 27, 2022, and was the largest public park opened in the city since 1983.[1][3][4]
Description
editThe park is located on Bay Street between Larkin and Hyde Streets.[2] It covers 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) and rises to an oval lawn. It includes a children's playground, a dog run, a community garden,[1][2][5] picnic areas and a public restroom.[4] A fenced-off section of the hillside has been left covered with natural vegetation, and another has been planted with drought-tolerant vegetation. The park preserves a section of the former reservoir and has a donated wrought iron fence from Collis Potter Huntington's Nob Hill mansion. A 450-foot (140 m) accessible staircase leads from the entrance on Hyde Street,[3] and the pathway from Bay Street through the park is also accessible.[4]
Park amenities
editFrancisco Park offers a variety of amenities for visitors. These include a community garden, a large oval lawn for informal play, custom-designed furnishings, restrooms, a playground, a dog park, and an interpretive plaza that preserves elements of the reservoir's infrastructure. Visitors can also enjoy scenic pathways and an elevated boardwalk with stunning views of Alcatraz and the Bay. The park is ADA-accessible, ensuring it serves the entire community. [6]
References
edit- ^ a b c Valentino, Silas (May 2, 2022). "'I'm in love with this place': SF's biggest public park in nearly 40 years opens on Russian Hill". SFGate.
- ^ a b c Darrow, Max (April 27, 2022). "Former Reservoir On San Francisco's Russian Hill Transformed Into New City Park". CBS News San Francisco.
- ^ a b King, John (May 18, 2022). "Russian Hill gets an ultralux park. Too bad there's not some housing, too". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c "Francisco Street Reservoir Improvement Project". San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ King, John (June 5, 2024). "Dogs have become S.F.'s 'most important urban accessory.' It's changing the city's landscape". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Francisco Park - BFS Landscape Architects". bfsla.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
External links
edit
Media related to Francisco Park at Wikimedia Commons
