The Lands End Lookout just opened at the end of April, and already the new building – which includes exhibits and artifacts, interpretive merchandise, a café, and restrooms – is a target for vandals.
Spokeswoman Jennifer Greene of the Parks Conservancy sent an email out today detailing the latest offenses, and included photos of the damage.
“Vandals aggressively chipped out the skateboard cleats on several of the seating wall cubes in front of the Lands End Lookout this past weekend. This damage marks a new severity in destruction. Vandals also damaged the mirror in the men’s room at the Visitor Center, and destroyed a “Bus Only” sign, which marks the third time we have had to replace that sign due to vandalism,” she wrote.
The center is in the process of getting estimates for repairing the damage, and Greene says The National Park Service and Parks Conservancy are considering additional security measures for the building.
Greene also asked residents to be on the lookout for graffiti and vandalism, encouraging them to call the Park Service’s emergency number at 561-5656 if they witness any vandalism in progress. Non-emergency reports can be called into 561-5505.
Could this be the work of skateboarders? Vandals tore out a section of a handrail on 48th Avenue and Balboa in January. One neighbor had overheard some skateboarders complaining that it was impeding “their best jumps” ever since it had been rebuilt.
Perhaps tearing out the cleats at the Lookout was their way of thumbing their nose at anti-skateboard measures? Let’s hope not – there are plenty of other places to ride in the neighborhood.
Sarah B.
Skateboard cleats were chipped out of the wall at the Lands End Lookout
Skateboard cleats were chipped out of the wall at the Lands End Lookout
Graffiti in the men’s room at the Lands End Lookout
Can you say, “Big Brother… bring on the cameras”. That is awful, I loathe vandals.
That visitor center is a true waste of money and has quickly turned into Fisherman’s Wharf West with throngs of tourists, long lines of idling rental cars and a gift shop with lots of worthless “merchandise”. Should have done some nice landscaping there instead. Now apparently it has attracted the scum that you would expect on Fisherman’s Wharf only
interesting that the cleats where always there when I ride my bike up to that area before the building went up. Now that the building is up, the cleats are ripped out. Perhaps the new building attracts a lot of people, which in turn also attracts people of a more unsavory nature.
If it’s skateboarders ripping out the anti-skateboarding devices, who’s destroying the “Bus only” sign? Angry motorists?
Good. Stop trying to monetize our city. Land’s End, Sutro, Rob Hill — none of this needs “interpretation”.
I’m very disturbed by the vandals, but I’m even more disturbed by some of the comments that seem to blame the vandalism on the tasteless design of the Visitor’s Center. It’s not appropriate to conflate these two. Regardless of how you feel about the Center, that does not justify the wanton ruination of property. Have we devolved into a society where anything goes, and it’s OK to take out our disapproval in such an anti-social and destructive way? There are plenty of ways to show our displeasure with privitization or tacky design. Smearing paint on mirrors and ripping out skateboard cleats are not two of those ways.
Vandalism of this sort makes me long for Abrahamic or Sharia law. I’ll settle for the old-style Singapore caning with a freshly-cut rotan.
Forgive me; it was not my intention to advocate the violent destruction of Western Civilization. It’s just that the approval of the plan to pave Beach Chalet Field, and the soon-to-be-completed transformation of Fort Scott into a business park, has made me a bit grumpy about all the recent construction in places it oughtn’t to be.
To: Alyxandr… Channel your grumpiness. There’s a hearing about the Beach Chalet paving project on Tues. July 10, starting at 4 pm. It’ll probably go on for several hours if you can’t go ’til after work. The organizers of the fight against this horrible project need as many people as possible to attend this hearing and send a message to City Hall that we’re the 99%. Read all about it at http://www.sfoceanedge.org
It will be interesting to see if the National Park Service will actively maintain the new visitor center and whether or not they will seek to apprehend and prosecute vandals at the precious new tourist ‘interpretation’ site. They sure as hell do NOT give a dam about the longstanding vandal problem down on Ocean Beach (notably the endless graffiti on the seawall & trash on the beach).
btw-The proposed Beach Chalet fields project will actually bring respectful users to the area (including thousands of additional children engaging in healthy outdoor activities!) and will, hopefully, flush out the creeps that currently congregate in the overgrown southwest corner of the parky. Birders and stargazers opposed to the project … take a hike.
Since the parking lots are own by the city of SF, I wonder if the adjacent seawalls fall into that ownership (sights most often marred by graffiti). On average, NPS is quite good at keeping parks relatively clean and usable. Hopefully, they can apprehend vandals and will follow through with prosecution.
You want to find the culprits? Don’t have to look far, just walk down the slope and turn left on Fulton and behold! You’ll see them camped out at the GG Park and/hustlin’ at the Safeway lot.
Thank you, Jean, I’ll see if I can’t get to that.
I’ll bet the cleats were taken by scrap metal theives. Most of the ones I see are brass or stainless steel. Anyone get a look at these before they were grabbed? I also can’t see skaters walking off with them, they’d just pitch them into the nearest bushes.
The individuals responsible need to be brought in front of a judge. Such bad activity lowers the value of our neighborhood for everyone.
bust some kneecaps . . . simple.
It’s a city. I’ve decided to forgo the grief and wasted energy that comes with being aggravated by this type of behavior and just “live and let live.”
It is really sad to destroy property. Why don’t they steal those sticks in the ground outside the center drawing our eyes to the ocean.. This is such a nice place to walk or just watch the sunset. One of our favorite places.
It is what it is. I never was a fan of this visitor center from the start, mainly due to the fact it is smack dab in the middle of point lobos avenue and blocks a once unobstructed view of the cliffs and ocean. Now the city or who ever takes care of this cement shack can enjoy all the problems that goes with it.
Mel – The NPS (not the City) has responsibility for the seawall and adjacent sidewalk promenade. I agree that “on average” the NPS do a pretty good job with the properties they manage (especially in Marin, the Presidio, & Chrissy Field). But, my point was that at OB, the NPS beach maintenance standards are severely lacking when compared with other CA state/county/city urban beach managers’ efforts. Let’s hope they step it up.
right on alyxander and rob s.
Solution: Surveillance cameras and SEVERE fines and community service penalties for offenders.
SOLUTION: DONT PUT UP THOSE WEAK ASS “skateboard cleats”