Envisioning, building, and programming an elevated park in downtown San Francisco
By Ashley Langworthy
San Francisco is known for its beautiful parks and landscapes. A few that come to mind for both residents and visitors are the Presidio, Crissy Field, Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park, and McLaren Park. But until recent years, there have been fewer celebrated parks in the most urban and downtown districts of the city, namely the Financial District and the South of Market Area.
Salesforce Park changes that, providing a sizable, well-maintained, highly programmed, and gardenesque park in the heart of the most urban district of the city.
The park, which obtains its name from the naming-rights deal with the company headquartered next door, is public property and is owned and operated by Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), a government agency created in 2001 to deliver the new Salesforce Transit Center and rooftop Park in downtown San Francisco while revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood. Through its asset manager, Lincoln Property Company, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (BRV) was brought onboard in 2017 to manage and run the abundant, free programming, which occurs daily at the public park.
Salesforce Park is a gathering place and a centerpiece for the fast-growing East Cut neighborhood. This distinctive part of San Francisco has experienced significant redevelopment and growth in the past few decades, including the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway after the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and the completion of the Salesforce Transit Center and rooftop Park, which replaced the damaged 1939 Transbay Terminal in its place, and which will eventually house Caltrain and high-speed rail. It has the densest concentration of new home and office construction in the Bay Area.