I spoke with longtime Richmond District resident Anna Yartroussis recently about two projects that are happening at Lincoln Park; the renovation of the Lincoln Park Children’s Playground and the restoration of the nearby Lincoln Park Steps at the end of California Street.
Lincoln Park Playground, located at 33rd Avenue and Clement Street is currently closed for a major renovation that will last until March, 2010. The $934,824 project (budget detail) is funded by the San Francisco Recreations & Park Department.
Yartroussis was involved in the initial planning and fundraising for the playground renovation, and says one of her first jobs was to pursue Albertson’s Market for their promised donation of $500,000. Even though the market was on its way out of the neighborhood, it made good on its donation.
The children’s playground is being completely redesigned and will include new play equipment, safety surfacing and new furnishings. The renovation also calls for new seatwalls and landscaping.
Like many modern playgrounds, Lincoln playground will have two distinct sections – one for children age 2-5, the other designed with taller, more complex structures for kids age 5-12.
Project manager Meghan Tiernan of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department told me this summer that “this will be great for the pre-schools in the area that use Lincoln Playground.”
A conceptual drawing of the new Lincoln Park Playground, due to re-open in March, 2010
Yartroussis is also leading the restoration of the Lincoln Park steps at the end of California Street. 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.
With her group the Friends of Lincoln Park, Yartroussis’ goal is to raise $300,000 for the project, which will repair the steps and cover portions of it with decorative tiles.
They are well on their way with a recent $51,000 Community Challenge Grant award from the city and a $10,000 donation from adjacent Katherine Delmar Burke School, where Yartroussis’ daughters are enrolled.
The tile designs for the Lincoln steps are 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 first phase will include re-pouring the wall bench at the top of the stairs and tiling the back wall.
For more information about the Lincoln Steps restoration project, 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.
Sarah B.
An artist’s rendering of the restored Lincoln Steps.
An artist’s rendering of a bench on the middle landing of the steps.
The sample tiles on the Friends of Lincoln Park’s website look beautiful!
Are there any plans to protect the stairs from skateboarders?
Am I the only one shocked that it will take almost a million dollars to renovate a playground?
Nope– I would really like to know where the money’s going. $50000, fine, but twenty times that?
Hi all – You can see budget detail on the project website at:
http://parkbonds.sfgov.org/status/schoolInfo.asp?proj_id=140
Screenshot here: https://richmondsfblog.com/images/lincolnbudget.jpg
Sarah B.
Thank you Sarah!
$935,000 for the construction and another $463,000 for the “project control” (not counting $200,000 in reserves that are likely to be used as well)? To renovate a playground??
I am speechless.
Hello,
I was wondering what’s going on with the Lincoln Park steps at the end of California St. I walk my dog through there most evenings and about a month ago, and in one day they dug out dirt from behind the bench at the top and threw plywood over the hole – leaving it in a somewhat hazardous state.
There has been no work done since then. Does anyone know when work will resume? Thanks
Hi Bradd – You can keep up with the stairs project on their website at:
http://www.sfpt.org/Default.aspx?tabid=279
There is also an email address on there if you want to contact them for more info.
Sarah B.