Inclusive, community-driven design

Together with The Trust for Public Land, we conducted extensive community outreach, hosting public meetings and forums not only at the site but also at nearby youth centers, senior centers, and churches—wherever local people were likely to participate. Residents from the Tenderloin participated, as well as representatives of the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Youth with a Mission, and City Academy. Key decisions were made at these forums.

The result is a new landmark park and clubhouse that embodies civic engagement, sustainability, and adaptability, drawing on San Francisco’s tradition of clubhouse design and the dynamic architectural contrasts of the Tenderloin. The park now features amenities for all ages, including adult exercise areas, basketball courts, youth play structures, a walking path, and a community garden.

We repositioned the entry to ensure that everyone passes by the new, raised clubhouse. Now, once inside the park, visitors can easily access various spaces from a central point, without navigating through a playground to reach the lawn, for example. We also replaced the heavy, wrought iron fences with a lighter, visually transparent wire mesh that maintains security while improving sightlines.

A porch overlooking the street and the park

The new clubhouse, facing Eddy Street, frames the park’s main entrance. Raised and designed with all-glass facades, the building maximizes visibility, allowing the recreation director and others inside to easily notice anyone entering the park. Elevating the clubhouse also makes activity within the building visible from the street, positioning the clubhouse as a welcoming community hub. The recreation room extends into the park, blending indoor and outdoor spaces, while large window walls frame views of the basketball court, playground, and expansive lawn, reinforcing the sense of openness and connection.

A community-driven vision for sustainability

We were inspired by the community’s commitment to prioritizing sustainability: neighbors asked for an off the grid project with solar panels and a community garden. In response, the clubhouse is heated entirely by a geothermal system—one of San Francisco’s first public projects to implement this technology. Beneath the basketball court, eight cores extend 200 feet into the ground, extracting heat from the earth to supply radiant heating through tubes embedded in the concrete slabs. 

Likewise, the main spaces of the clubhouse are cooled naturally. The large, cathedral-like recreation room uses the stack effect to ventilate without the need for ceiling fans, while the meeting room relies on operable windows and ceiling fans. Only a few offices are air-conditioned.

The park incorporates a community garden, pervious concrete, bioswales, and a stormwater infiltration system beneath the lawn. We carefully selected a plant palette with many California natives, offering a sense of the state’s natural beauty to Tenderloin residents, many of whom are new to California. A comprehensive signage program throughout the park highlights its sustainable features, with a key map at the clubhouse entrance explaining each element.

All in

Success wasn’t just about design; it relied on collaboration with the Recreation and Parks Department, the San Francisco Police, and community groups to ensure ongoing operations, stewardship, and programming. Within three years of reopening, park usage tripled, with notable increases among children, teens, and seniors.