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History
In 1953, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors designated a 19-block
section south of Market Street as a Redevelopment Area. Due to setbacks
and delays, not much was done until late 1970s, when the San Francisco
Redevelopment Agency (SFRA), led by Project Director Helen Sause,
began working with Bay Area artistic and community groups to collect
information about practical needs and cultural aspirations. The
Yerba Buena project was the result of this extensive community involvement.
The project's creative plan placed much of the convention center
underground, while providing low-income housing mixed with cultural
and open space. In 1980, Mayor Dianne Feinstein and the SFRA issued
an invitation to developers worldwide to "create ... in
the heart of one of the world's great cities, an environment in
the form of a magnificent urban garden. . ." The culmination
of this process are the gardens we walk among today, along with
several other projects in different stages of growth.
The vision for Yerba Buena was built on three firm legs. The first
was the idea of bringing art and artists into the area initially
with the understanding that community development would follow.
Whether it's SoHo in New York or the Left Bank in Paris, artists
have often played the role of explorer, homesteader, and developer
for future urban growth. The second idea was the concept of diversity.
The community was determined to ensure that the Yerba Buena project
would preserve and foster popular culture and ethnic diversity.
Diversity brings durability and healthy development to both the
evolving garden and the growing community. The third idea was sustainability.
Sustainability is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs. The long-term goal for urban sustainability is to develop
a prosperous and healthy urban system, which can provide for the
needs of residents while reversing trends of increased pollution
and environmental degradation. This goal toward sustainability is
communicated and practiced at all levels of planning and operation.
At the core of the Yerba Buena vision and its three legs are three
people, who undertook the immense project. And since it was built,
these same three have continued to support and foster its growth
through their work with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.
The first is Helen Sause, former SFRA Project Director, current
Deputy Director, and life force of the initial concept. Instrumental
in the schematic design, architecture, and landscaping is the second
person, Bill Carney, current Project Director. Filling out the foundation
is Cathy Pickering, SFRA Project Assistant. Cathy oversees the daily
operations of the facility and works closely with all the YBG partners.
For more information see
their website.
Yerba Buena Gardens opened on October 11, 1993.
In 1998 Mayor Willie Brown opened the Children’s Garden and
took the first ride on the newly restored Carousel.
Early History
Yerba Buena was named in 1835 when the English family of William
A. Richardson settled in the area. Wild mint grew rampant in the
surrounding hills, and the name translates from the Spanish for
"good herb." Richardson built his home on the slope between
what we now call Telegraph Hill and Rincon Point. After the second
settler, American Jacob Lesse, moved in near the Richardson home,
two flags were raised: the Mexican National Emblem and the Stars
and Stripes. On July 9, 1846, Captain John Montgomery landed his
70 sailors and marines and took possession of the Yerba Buena settlement
in the name of the United States of America. Six months later, Mexican
General Vallejo bargained to give a portion of his property holdings
to established settlers Doc. Semple and Thomas Larkin in exchange
for naming the new town after the General's wife, Francisca. Fearing
this would overshadow the little-known Yerba Buena, in January of
1847, Washington A. Bartlett, Alcalde and Chief Magistrate, wrote
his famous ordinance that renamed the entire settlement as San Francisco,
At the time, its 462 inhabitants lived in tents, shanties, and adobe
huts. The streets went without names until they were mapped out
in early 1847 by Jasper O'Farrell. Their names still remind us of
the city's most prominent settlers: Elbert Jones (doctor, editor,
and hotelkeeper), Nathan Spear (livestock merchant), William Davis
(merchant), William Liedesdorff (merchant and real estate owner),
and Captain Joseph Folsom.

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