Fourteen percent of San Francisco is green space. There is a public park within a mile of every house in the City. There are seven different national, state and city departments that manage these parks. One of these parks, Alta Plaza, is located in Pacific Heights.

Alta Plaza Park, managed by San Francisco Parks and Recreation^[1], was originally a quarry until 1877 when the City purchased the land for park development. Although established in 1888, it would be two decades before the park was landscaped by John McLaren^[2], Superintendent of Golden Gate Park. It is four square blocks (12 acres) bounded by Jackson, Clay, Steiner and Scott, with terraced lawns on the south and east sides.  The entire park offers panoramic views of the City and the San Francisco Bay. Alta Plaza Park was one of the many public spaces used as a campsite for refugees after the 1906 Earthquake and Fires^[3].

The movie What’s Up Doc, a RomCom starring Barbara Streisand and Ryan O’Neal, was filmed in San Francisco. In a key scene, filmed without permission, a Volkswagen Beetle, a yellow cab, a limousine and a Cadillac DeVille convertible speed down the concrete staircase in Alta Plaza Park that descend onto Steiner. The cars took out huge chunks of concrete. 

In 2018 a $2.6 million improvement project was completed. While the damaged concrete staircase was not repaired, a new drainage for the subterranean infrastructure was installed, fixing leaks which deposited wide swaths of slippery slime that would coat Jackson and Clay. The park now consists of an outdoor basketball court, tennis courts and a children’s playground.

Friends of Alta Plaza Park^[4] is a non-profit volunteer organization that assists San Francisco Parks and Rec in keeping the park in prime condition.

^[1] Visit them at https://sfrecpark.org

^[2] John McLaren: story coming January 25th

^[3] 1906 Earthquake and Fires: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849

^[4] Visit them at https://www.altaplazapark.com