San Francisco's Secret Gardens
1.
Historic Gardens of Alcatraz
The mission of the Gardens of Alcatraz Project is to preserve and
maintain the gardens created by those who lived on the island during its
military and prison eras. The garden started to come back to life in
2003 when the Park Service manager, California garden preservation
advocates, and the Garden Conservancy and Parks Conservancy hired a
project manager and horticulturist to work with volunteers all the time
to weed. The work gradually revealed the structure of the old gardens.
The four areas that offer the greatest potential for preservation are
the main entry road, officers' row, the warden's house and the cellhouse
slopes. The best time to visit the gardens is from January to
September. Photo via Elizabeth Byers
Tenderloin National Forest
Since 1989, artists Daryyl Smith and Laurie Lazer of the Luggage
Store have been transforming an alley in the Tenderloin into a garden
where local community members gather for all sorts of events, including
performance art and group gardening projects. Lazer and Smith have
organized murals to be painted on all sides of the alley. The forest
has trees, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Other highlights are a small
"green" structure with a living roof, and a clay oven. Photo via Sally Kuchar
Dogpatch-Miller Memorial Garden
Take the staircase at the corner of Brewster and Rutledge until you
reach the community garden on the left. Swing a right and walk maybe ten
feet (past the bulletin board) and bam, you've reached one of San
Francisco's most magical and funky gardens. The 8,750-square-foot spot
is one of the 35 city-owned community gardens that's overseen by San
Francisco Parks and Rec. Department. However, it's run by a group of
volunteers who meet regularly to maintain the 20 plots in the terraced
gardens. Unlike the majority of community gardens, this one is open to
the public. Photo via Sally Kuchar
Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden
The western edge of Golden Gate Park is known for quite a few
attractions, but one of its best kept secrets is a tulip garden that's
planted just below the Dutch Windmill. It features thousands of tulips
interspersed with Icelandic poppies, which are in full boom in March and
April. Why's the garden named after a former queen of the Netherlands?
Because she donated the Dutch Windmill to San Francisco in 1902. Photo
via Left Coast Cowboys
Havens Street
This dead-end lane starts on the west side of Leavenworth, just north
of the corner of Union and Leavenworth. Walk up a steep set of stairs
to find this urban gem. The small lane is lined with homes that all
cater to their own gardens. At the end of the lane (roughly half a
block) there's a bench you can sit on and enjoy the surrounding
environment. Photo via Sally Kuchar
Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, CA
Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, CA
The Westfield's Sky Terrace
There's a terrace on the 9th floor of the Westfield Shopping Centre.
It's very difficult to get to. To get to the terrace you need to enter
835 Market Street, right next door to the Westfield Centre's main
entrance. Walk a bit and you'll come across a guard. Explain that you're
going up to see the terrace, they'll know the drill. The guard will
escort you to the proper elevator. You'll be asked to get out of the
elevator on the 8th floor by a different guard, and then you have to
take another elevator to get to the 9th floor which is where the Sky
Terrace is located. If that sounds confusing just ask the guards for
help. It's only opened during business hours. Photo via Yelp
835 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
835 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Empire Park
The park is tiny, and is mostly a courtyard with foliage surround its
borders. There's a delightful water feature that's the focal point of
the courtyard. The entrance is draped in white wisteria. Other
highlights are gigantic tree ferns planted throughout, and potato vines
climbing up the surrounding buildings. Photo via Yelp
Fay Park and Garden
Fay Park is actually the backyard of the Fay-Berrigan house on
Russian Hill. The Berrigan family commissioned landscape architect
Thomas Church to design a garden for the house in 1957, which features
twin gazebos that are still there today. In 1998, the city of San
Francisco accepted Mary Far Berrigan's bequest to turn the backyard into
a public park. The garden was renovated in 2005. Photo via Sally Kuchar
Baden and Joost Street Mini Park
This park is between two residential properties on a street lined
with houses. The park is managed by the SF Rec and Park department and
is kept quite clean. At the opening of the park there's a bench to enjoy
the surrounding view, but the real fun is in the actual garden. If you
go deep enough into the park (it stretches to the back of the lot)
you'll come to a landing where a small tile project is installed on the
stairwell. Photo via SF Rec and Park
100 1st Street Sun Terrace
Squashed between 100 1st Street and its parking garage is a 4-flight
staircase leading to a terrace that's on the roof of the garage. Miss
grass because you spend all your time South of Market or Downtown? Then
this terrace is for you. In addition to some impressive water features
(including a water garden) this terrace has plenty of sculptured grass
areas for you to enjoy during your lunch break. Although it's a POPUS,
the terrace is open 24/7. There's aluminum tables and chairs sprinkled
throughout the entire space. It's mostly empty on weekends. Photo via Sally Kuchar
Filbert Steps and Grace Marchant Gardens
Rumor has it, Grace Marchant moved onto the corner of Napier Lane and
Filbert Street in 1949. At the time, the Filbert Steps was a staircase
through a slope that was used as an informal garbage dump. Marchant
spent the majority of her life cleaning up the slope (at one point
commissioning the city to burn the debris so she could start anew- which
it did), and was very casual about property lines. Highlights: You will
most likely encounter a flock or two of wild parrots. Photo via Alexandra Jones
Beale Street Plaza
The Beale Street Plaza is a large and open space surrounded by
towering buildings. It's quite serene, especially on the weekends when
no one's around. It's loaded with beautiful foliage, and we'll get to
that.
We first have to tell you about the Bechtel Museum, which is centrally located in the plaza (technically it's in the Bechtel Plaza, but there's no clear boundaries). It's a railroad car. In the 1920s, the railroad car WaaTeeKaa was home to Steve and Laura Bechtel and their family at remote construction sites in the West. The vintage railroad car that's in the plaza today has been restored to replicate the original WaaTeeKaa. You can tour it Monday through Friday from 11AM to 2PM.
The plaza has an abundance of Japanese maples. The gardens are dotted with a rich mix of annuals. The plaza has comfortable benches backed by large planters filled with everything from flowering plants to ferns. Photo via Sally Kuchar
We first have to tell you about the Bechtel Museum, which is centrally located in the plaza (technically it's in the Bechtel Plaza, but there's no clear boundaries). It's a railroad car. In the 1920s, the railroad car WaaTeeKaa was home to Steve and Laura Bechtel and their family at remote construction sites in the West. The vintage railroad car that's in the plaza today has been restored to replicate the original WaaTeeKaa. You can tour it Monday through Friday from 11AM to 2PM.
The plaza has an abundance of Japanese maples. The gardens are dotted with a rich mix of annuals. The plaza has comfortable benches backed by large planters filled with everything from flowering plants to ferns. Photo via Sally Kuchar
Michelangelo Park
This magical wonderland on Russian Hill was a result of community
fundraising and advocacy. In the center is a large grassy area
surrounded with large flowering foliage. It also has a children's
playground, basketball hoops, handmade pathways, and benches. There's
also a community garden but we won't get into how long the wait list is.
Another highlight is a corner area with benches that's usually shaded.
Perfect for taking in the surrounding beauty and enjoying a good book
(that you're reading on your iPad). Photo via Sally Kuchar
Transamerica Redwood Park
This park was built in 1972 on a half-acre filled with redwood trees.
To make sure all feel welcome, the park's entrance has a sign that
reads "provided for the enjoyment of our employees, tenants and
friends." In the center of the park is a fountain decorated with frog
sculptures, a tribute to Mark Twain's story "To Celebrated Jumping Frog
of Calaveras County." In addition to the towering redwoods, there are
also flowerbeds and ferns. The park's open during business hours and
closed on weekends. Photo via Sally Kuchar
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project
While most folks are in awe of the awesomeness of the 16th Avenue
Tiled Steps Project, there are equally as awesome native plant gardens
that line each side. Mostly succulents are found. Photo via Google Street View
343 Sansome Rooftop Deck
It's also been called the FiDi's best outdoor lunch spot - if you
know about it. There's tables, benches with cushions, a nice view of the
surrounding area and even a portion of the Bay. Foliage wise there are
planters filled with seasonal flowers (including beautiful tulips in the
early Spring months). A quick search of its Yelp reviews reveal that
more than half of the reviews bring up being hesitate to write about
this FiDi gem because it's never crowded and they want to keep it a
secret. The space is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Photo via Yelp
Crocker Galleria Roof Terrace
The Crocker Galleria Roof Terrace has it all: shrubbery, flowering
plants in larger planters, a great view, plenty of seating, and a
fountain. It overlooks Market Street and the surrounding skyscrapers. Photo via Yelp
50 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94104
Article & Photo Sourced From: SF Curbed.com
http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/02/17_secret_gardens_and_green_spaces_hidden_around_sf.php
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