I went to grammar school in the Richmond and have a photo of my 4th grade class sitting on the Lincoln Park steps at the end of California Street near 32nd Avenue. So when I read a story in Supervisor Eric Mar’s column in The Richmond Review newspaper about a neighborhood group’s effort to restore the steps, I was intrigued.
In use since the 1900s, decades of neglect and disrepair have resulted in cracked steps, damaged concrete and wasted landscaping that attract nighttime loitering, frequent graffiti and dumping of unwanted items.
Enter The Friends of Lincoln Park, part of the San Francisco Parks Trust. They have undertaken an effort to “restore the elegant “bone structure†of the steps in the original Beaux Arts style” using handmade tiles. The tile designs were inspired by historic photographs of Sutro Baths and buildings of the 1890 World’s Fair in San Francisco, and from the artistic vision of Aileen Barr, a renowned tile artist who has worked on many public projects in San Francisco – including the award-winning 16th Avenue Stairs in Golden Gate heights.
The restoration will be conducted over the next two years to allow for additional fundraising and community input. The project will happen in tandem with the renovation of the nearby Lincoln Park Playground by the SF Recreation & Park Department.
If you have questions about the restoration project, contact friendsoflincolnpark@yahoo.com or visit the Friends of Lincoln Park website. Want to help? Much of the project is being financed with private donations from Richmond District residents. If you would like to contribute, please donate. Every little bit helps.
Sarah B.
