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SF Reopens Renovated 6-acre Park in Western Addition

SF’s Margaret Hayward Playground unveiled its $28 million renovation on Friday, 10/30
By - posted 10/31/2020 No Comment

San Francisco’s Margaret Hayward Playground reopened on Friday, October 30, following a $28 million renovation that transformed the beloved 6-acre park in the heart of the Western Addition into a modern hub for recreation, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced.

The park’s transformation was funded largely by the San Francisco Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond approved by voters in 2012. Additional funding came from the Market and Octavia Community Improvement Fund, State Housing Related Parks Grant, Nearby Schools Initiative, and Open Space Funds.

The park is located at 1016 Laguna St at Golden Gate Ave.

Learn More about the renovations

The renovation includes a redesigned layout that improves access and creates a unified and vibrant neighborhood park. At the heart of the park sits an all-new children’s play area as well as a community clubhouse with a teaching kitchen and room for expanded programming for seniors and youth. A plaza designed for multigenerational use doubles as a stage for neighborhood performances.

At the east and west ends of the park are improved basketball courts, a new multi-use sports field to accommodate pick-up games, and two expanded baseball/softball fields converted to synthetic turf thanks to a $1.5 million donation from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory.

The Margaret Hayward renovation also features the first all-gender restrooms on a new park site.

Rec and Park conducted extensive community outreach on the renovation beginning in early 2016. As a result, neighbors shaped the project to their vision: an integrated, safe and connected park with more outdoor space for positive activities and a playground that will draw in Western Addition families.

Iconic American artist Emory Douglas was selected by the San Francisco Arts Commission to create a 10-foot wide by 8-foot tall graphic image on an interior wall of the building. The piece, “Respect Mother Earth,” encourages each of us to see ourselves as advocates for the environment. It draws upon Douglas’ iconic paperboy image he created in 1969 while serving as Minister of Culture of the Black Panther Party.