Photos: Community gathers for official dedication of new Lincoln Park steps

Last Thursday, nearly 100 people gathered to celebrate the completion of the decorative tiling project at the Lincoln Park steps, located at the end of California Street.

The project was 7 years in the making, took 5 months of construction work, and thousands of volunteer hours from community members like Friends of Lincoln Park members Anna Yartroussis and Meg Autry who spearheaded the project.

In addition to the decorative work, the project also included repair of the steps, landings, pillars, benches and sidewalls, as well as the installation of handrails.

The 52 stairs feature decorative tiles designed by local artist Aileen Barr, who told the crowd at the dedication that her goal was “to connect the urban cityscape with Lincoln Park”. Her designs were inspired by historic photographs of Sutro Baths and buildings of the 1890 World’s Fair in San Francisco.

Barr is 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 and tiled benches at Alta Plaza playground.

Some donors also gave $500 or more for named tiles which appear throughout the design.

Attendees at Thursday’s dedication also included students and families from Katherine Delmar Burke School, located just adjacent to the steps. City representatives included Supervisor Eric Mar and Phil Ginsburg, head of Rec & Park.

Thanks to cub reporter David H. for the report and photos.

Sarah B.