With the Vaillancourt Fountain now fully removed from Embarcadero Plaza, San Francisco officials are moving forward this week with an ambitious $40 million plan to transform the site into a 5-acre destination park that will replace the brick patio once known as Justin Herman Plaza and combine it with adjacent Sue Bierman Park.
On Tuesday, Supervisor Danny Sauter will introduce to the Board of Supervisors legislation for acceptance of up to $20 million in private funding for the project and formalize the role of the San Francisco Downtown Development Corp. in building the park. On Thursday, the recreation and park commission will vote to approve the final concept design, which is the last step before engineering begins.
If both measures move forward, this unique public-private consortium of business, civic and nonprofit interests will break ground late this fall. The future park, which has yet to be named, will transform what is now a mishmash into a cohesive design centered on an expansive lawn encircled by a wide, smooth pathway. Gardens will be woven around the edges.
“We are reimagining Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park, turning it into a true front door to downtown and a destination in its own right,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie in a statement. “This new and ambitious waterfront park is part of our vision for a downtown where people live, work, play, and learn and will help us build on our momentum downtown — because when downtown succeeds, our entire city succeeds.”
The final concept design, released exclusively to the Chronicle, is by HOK, the St. Louis-based global architecture and design firm that designed Oracle Park. HOK was hired by BXP, owner of the Embarcadero Center office towers, which paid $2.5 million for the design that got the project moving.
Three community meetings and thousands of survey submissions helped define the major elements of the planned park, which is anchored by a large central lawn and performance space. It also includes areas for outdoor dining and shopping along the edge of Embarcadero Center, as well as seating and other gathering spots. The park will accommodate activities and programming like markets, festivals and public art, as well as outdoor recreation, exercise and play areas, including the existing renovated children’s playground at Sue Bierman Park.
A new nighttime rendering shows a bright and vibrant place for an evening stroll, seamlessly connecting Market Street and the Gateway apartment complex to the Ferry Building attractions and transit hub — a sharp contrast with the sterile and uninviting plaza that has been isolated from the waterfront for decades.
“The transformation of Embarcadero Plaza into a new waterfront park will create a vibrant destination that strengthens the connection between downtown San Francisco and its iconic waterfront,” said Aaron Fenton, senior vice president of development at BXP. “The park will be a hub for the neighborhood, complementing Embarcadero Center’s dynamic mix of shops, restaurants and premier workplaces.”
The Vaillancourt Fountain, which has been dismantled and placed in storage while its fate is determined, will be represented by a seating area that mimics the massive sculpture’s concrete arms, along with platforms and stepping stones. The sunken concrete basin where the fountain once sat will be filled in. The park’s pathways and other recreational areas will accommodate skateboarders, for whom the fountain became a major worldwide destination in the 1980s and ’90s.
“San Francisco is one step closer to having a beautiful new waterfront park for all to enjoy. The reimagined Embarcadero Plaza will serve as a gateway from San Francisco’s downtown to our Bay and will delight countless visitors and locals for generations to come,” said Sauter, whose District 3 includes the plaza and surrounding area. “I applaud the creative partnerships that have pushed this forward and the many neighbors who have crafted this proposal to include more open space, recreation, and access to arts and culture.”
The $40 million funding mechanism to be voted on by the Board of Supervisors will come from $18 million in voter-approved public funds, mostly from the Vibrant San Francisco 2024 Bond, and at least $20 million to be raised privately. To this end, the Crankstart Foundation has committed $10 million in a matching grant, provided the Downtown Development Corp., a nonprofit dedicated to the revival of downtown, can come up with the other $10 million. Separately, the Downtown SF Partnership has secured $2 million in private donations.
If it all comes together and the groundbreaking happens on schedule late this year, the park is expected to take a year to build and will open in late 2027 or early 2028.
“We envision a waterfront park that is alive from morning to night, where office workers eat lunch in the sun, families play after visiting the Ferry Building, residents attend fitness classes, and visitors experience the beauty and energy of San Francisco for the first time,” said Sarah Madland, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.