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Embarcadero Plaza

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Coordinates: 37°47′42″N 122°23′41″W / 37.7949°N 122.3948°W / 37.7949; -122.3948
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Embarcadero Plaza
Justin Herman Plaza
The plaza in 2009
Embarcadero Plaza is located in San Francisco
Embarcadero Plaza
Embarcadero Plaza is located in San Francisco Bay Area
Embarcadero Plaza
Embarcadero Plaza is located in California
Embarcadero Plaza
TypeUrban park
LocationSan Francisco, California
Coordinates37°47′42″N 122°23′41″W / 37.7949°N 122.3948°W / 37.7949; -122.3948
Area3.6 acres (1.5 ha; 0.0056 sq mi; 0.015 km2)
Created1972
DesignerLawrence Halprin
Owned bySan Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
Operated bySan Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
OpenAll year
Public transit accessBART and Muni, Embarcadero station
Websiteembarcaderoplaza.com

Embarcadero Plaza, previously known as Justin Herman Plaza from its opening in 1972 until 2017, is a 3.6-acre (1.5 ha) plaza near the intersection of Market Street and The Embarcadero in San Francisco's Financial District, in the U.S. state of California.[1] It was completed in 1972 and is owned and operated by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department.[2]

Embarcadero Plaza is bordered by Sue Bierman Park on the north, The Embarcadero on the northeast, Don Chee Way busway on the southeast,[3] a combination of Steuart Street, Market Street, and Embarcadero Center on the southwest, and a combination of Embarcadero Center and Clay Street on the west.[1]

Design

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The Ferry Building Park could be a great open space with canals, lagoons, and fountains that would revive the marine flavor by actually bringing the Bay back into the area. The atmosphere of European ports could be injected with handsome paving, sidewalk cafes, and fine restaurants. The freeway should be painted dark, and large trees should be planted to suppress its sight and its sounds. Difficult as all this may be, establish the Ferry Building Park area as a vibrant, alive, colorful place, used by day and at night, and it will send a tingle up the spine of Market Street.

Halprin, Carter, and Rockrise, What to do About Market Street (1962)[4]

The design of Embarcadero Plaza is credited to Don Carter (principal-in-charge) with help from Mario J. Ciampi and John Bolles. The original concept was devised by Lawrence Halprin, who described five distinct districts of Market Street in the 1962 report What to do About Market Street[5] starting at the Embarcadero and ending at Van Ness.[4] In retrospect, Halprin's vision for Market was described as a "pedestrian-oriented series of linked civic spaces"[6] which were later realized as the open spaces running from Embarcadero Plaza (in the northeast) to UN Plaza in the southwest. Halprin described an early concept for what he called Ferry Building Park in the 1962 What to do About Market Street report, proposing to bring San Francisco Bay and the original harbor closer to Market, as "the [Embarcadero] Freeway and the Ferry building have created an impenetrable barrier, at street level, to one of San Francisco's most priceless assets – its marine setting" and offering ways to minimize the visual and aural impact of the double-decked freeway.[4]

The controversial Vaillancourt Fountain dominates the northeast end of the plaza.[7] The large plaza could accommodate large crowds, and the roaring fountain was designed to drown out noise from the Embarcadero Freeway, which was completed in 1959 and ran along the east side of the plaza from its opening in 1972 until the freeway was torn down in 1991.[8][9]

Map of Embarcadero Plaza as of July 2025
View of Vaillancourt Fountain and Justin Herman Plaza in 1988, matching initial 1972 configuration. Note double-deck Embarcadero Freeway separating plaza from waterfront.

History

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Early history and construction

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The space occupied by Embarcadero Plaza was acquired in the 1950s and 1960s by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA).[1] The space had been previously used for private buildings and parking before acquisition. The plaza was part of the Golden Gateway Redevelopment Project run by SFRA.[10][11]

The designers of the plaza include Lawrence Halprin & Associates in conjunction with Mario Ciampi & Associates and John Bolles & Associates.[1] The SFRA began construction of the plaza in the late 1960s, with construction finishing in 1972. The Vaillancourt Fountain, located on the Northern end of the plaza, was finished in 1971.[12]

While it was referred to as “Embarcadero Plaza” during design and construction, it was renamed Justin Herman Plaza in 1974 in honor of M. Justin Herman, executive director of the SFRA from 1959 to 1971[13], who died suddenly in 1971.

Updates and changing use

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The sculpture La Chiffonnière was installed in the plaza, closer to Market Street in 1981. In 1983, the plaza was renovated with tiered seating, expanded steps, and an outdoor stage platform.[1]

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused significant damage to the adjacent Embarcadero Freeway, leading to the freeway’s demolition in 1991, causing the surrounding area to open up. Around the same time in the late 1980s, the plaza became a world-renowned skateboarding destination during the rise of modern street skateboarding.[14][15]

Further renovations to the plaza were discussed beginning in the early 1990s, with more modest renovation taking place between 1998 and 2001.[1]

Further updates

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In 2008, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Monument was installed between the Vaillancourt Fountain and the Embarcadero.[16] The monument is dedicated to the Americans who volunteered to fight fascism in Spain during the 1930s. The monument was subsequently repaired between 2018 and 2020.[17]

In 2010, two bocce ball courts were installed on the plaza with private funding and labor.[18][19]

Embarcadero Plaza became a contributor to the Market Street Cultural Landscape District in 2016, which is a historic resource listed in the California Register of Historical Resources.[20]

Renaming the plaza

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In 2017, San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduced a resolution to rename the site Embarcadero Plaza, citing Herman's role in displacing poor and minority residents from the Western Addition, Fillmore, Chinatown, and South of Market neighborhoods while presiding over the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.[21] The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the resolution unanimously on September 19, 2017.[22]

The San Francisco Recreation & Parks Commission voted 4–2 to remove Justin Herman's name on November 16, 2017. An earlier vote in October ended in a 3–3 tie.[23][24] The name has remained Embarcadero Plaza since 2017.

Recent changes

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In 2023, temporary, privately owned padel courts were added to the plaza. They remain located on the brick portion of the plaza near the fountain.[25]

In April 2025, a temporary statue by Marco Cochrane, R-Evolution, was installed in the plaza.[26][27]

Usage

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Occupy San Francisco encampment (2011)

The plaza is frequented by nearby office workers on lunch break and by families with small children. Free daytime concerts occur frequently in the summer, and an ice skating rink is set up for winter months.[28] In 1987, during The Joshua Tree Tour, U2 held a free concert in Justin Herman Plaza to "Save the Yuppies" following the Black Monday financial crisis in October. During the finale of the impromptu concert, Bono spray-painted graffiti on Vaillancourt Fountain, for which he was fined.[29]

Great San Francisco Pillow Fight (2012)

During the early 1990s, the plaza was better known as EMB, one of the world's premier street skateboarding sites.[30][31][32] Formal athletic ceremonies and rallies have also occurred in the plaza, including the retirement of Joe Montana (1995), attended by an estimated 25,000 people;[33] the commemoration of Barry Bonds becoming the all-time home run leader (2007);[34] and as the site of Super Bowl City, a "fan village" for attendees of Super Bowl 50 (2016) at Levi's Stadium in distant Santa Clara.[35] Because of its size, the plaza is also frequently used for political rallies, including the Occupy San Francisco protest which took over the plaza for several months in 2011.[36]

Recurring events

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The monthly Critical Mass bicycle rides have started from the plaza since September 1992.[37] Since 2006,[38][39] on Valentine's Day, the plaza is the site of the Great San Francisco Pillow Fight, an unsponsored annual pillow fight flash mob.[40][41][42][43]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Embarcadero Plaza HRR (Historic Resources Review). San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. 2025-04-28.
  2. ^ "Embarcadero Plaza". San Francisco Recreation and Parks, CA. City and County of San Francisco. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Embarcadero Plaza - Don Chee Way Hardscape | San Francisco Recreation and Parks, CA". sfrecpark.org. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  4. ^ a b c Halprin, Lawrence; Carter, Donald Ray; Rockrise, George T. (1962). "The Look of Market Street". What to Do About Market Street: A prospectus for a development program prepared for the Market Street Development Project, an associate of SPUR: The San Francisco Planning and Urban Renewal Association (Report). Livingston and Blayney, City and Regional Planners. pp. 23–34. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  5. ^ Livingston and Blayney; Market Street Development Project (San Francisco, Calif ) (1962). What to do about Market Street : a prospectus for a development program. San Francisco Public Library. [San Francisco]: Livingston and Blayney.
  6. ^ "Justin Herman Plaza, 1962-71". The Landscape Architecture of Lawrence Halprin. The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Justin Herman – Embarcadero Plaza". San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  8. ^ King, John (November 3, 2009). "Lawrence Halprin's living legacy in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  9. ^ King, John (August 16, 2017). "Testing the waters for bringing the Vaillancourt Fountain back to life". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Embarcadero – Lower Market (Golden Gateway) | Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure". sfocii.org. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  11. ^ "PCAD - San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Golden Gateway Redevelopment Project, San Francisco, CA". pcad.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  12. ^ The Deseret News. The Deseret News.
  13. ^ King, By John. "Justin Herman Plaza needs more than name change". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  14. ^ "Opinion | San Francisco's Embarcadero Plaza is a skateboarding shrine — don't desecrate it". The San Francisco Standard. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  15. ^ Alley, Blair (2025-03-13). "Sign The Petition to Save San Francisco's Famed Embarcadero Plaza". www.skateboarding.com. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  16. ^ "San Francisco Monument". The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  17. ^ "The San Francisco Monument Repaired: Taps for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade". The Volunteer. 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  18. ^ May, Meredith (2011-10-09). "Bay Area bocce ball sites". SFGATE. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Ferry Bocce League". Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  20. ^ "Better Market Street Environmental Review Process | SF Planning". sfplanning.org. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  21. ^ Dineen, J.K. (July 27, 2017). "SF Supervisor Peskin ramps up drive to rename Justin Herman Plaza". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  22. ^ "SF Leaders Vote Unanimously to Rename Justin Herman Plaza". NBC Bay Area. September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  23. ^ Brinklow, Adam (17 November 2017). "City officially removes Justin Herman's name from plaza". SF Curbed. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  24. ^ Sabatini, Joshua (October 19, 2017). "UPDATE: Commission's vote to remove Justin Herman's name from plaza later declared invalid". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  25. ^ "Don't Call It Pickleball: SF Is Now Getting Two Padel Courts Down at Embarcadero Plaza". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  26. ^ Hotchkiss, Sarah (2025-04-11). "At Embarcadero Plaza, a Giant Nude Sculpture Nobody Asked For | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  27. ^ Padilla, Cecilio (2025-04-10). "San Francisco's giant new "R-Evolution" statue to be officially unveiled Thursday - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  28. ^ Marcus, Clare Cooper; Francis, Carolyn; Russell, Robert (1998). "1. Urban Plazas, Case Studies: 9. Justin Herman Plaza: Grand Public Place—the City Plaza". In Marcus, Clare Cooper; Francis, Carolyn (eds.). People Places: Design Guidelines for Urban Open Space (Second ed.). New York, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-471-28833-0. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  29. ^ Sisto, Carrie (September 10, 2017). "'Save The Yuppies:' U2's Free 1987 Concert In Justin Herman Plaza". Hoodline. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  30. ^ Blackmore, Willy (5 June 2019). "The public spaces that shaped skateboarding". Curbed. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  31. ^ Jensen, Travis (March 9, 2007). "No easy skate: S.F. is no longer shredder heaven". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  32. ^ Elliott, Templeton (August 9, 2013). "10 Iconic Skate Spots That No Longer Exist: 6. EMB". Complex. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  33. ^ Plaschke, Bill (April 19, 1995). "Montana Goes Home to Say Goodby". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  34. ^ Wildermuth, John (August 24, 2007). "San Francisco honors Barry Bonds for Giant accomplishments". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  35. ^ Knight, Heather (April 21, 2015). "Super Bowl City fan village will fill Justin Herman Plaza". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  36. ^ Ho, Vivian; Kane, Will; Colliver, Victoria (December 8, 2011). "Occupy SF regroups after raid, clashes with cops". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  37. ^ Fimrite, Peter (September 26, 2012). "Critical Mass bike movement at 20 years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  38. ^ Hoge, Patrick (February 14, 2006). "SAN FRANCISCO / Hundreds attend mass pillow fight". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  39. ^ Riquelme, Rita Berrios (February 15, 2017). "San Francisco blows off steam at 12th annual Valentine's Day pillow fight". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  40. ^ "SF Valentine's Day Pillow Fight Evolves From Intimate Brawl To Full-Scale Melee". KPIX 5 CBS SF BayArea. February 14, 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  41. ^ Gulezian, Lisa Amin (February 15, 2015). "1 knocked unconscious in San Francisco pillow fight". ABC 7 News. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  42. ^ "Massive Valentine's Day Pillow Fight Hits San Francisco". NBC Bay Area. February 14, 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  43. ^ "Nothing Says Happy Valentine's Day Like a Pillow Fight? San Franciscans Say Yes". NBC Bay Area. February 14, 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
[edit]
  • "Resolution No. 354-17". San Francisco Board of Supervisors. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  • "Justin Herman Plaza". Minutes (Report). San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission. October 19, 2017. pp. 10–18. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  • "Justin Herman Plaza". Minutes (Report). San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission. November 16, 2017. pp. 29–31. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
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