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.