PORTSMOUTH SQUARE in San Francisco, also known as “The Heart of Chinatown,” is getting a multi-million-dollar facelift and city leaders broke ground there this week to kick off the transformation.
Mayor Daniel Lurie, City Attorney David Chiu, Chinatown and city leaders, and community organizations held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the $73 million Portsmouth Square Improvement Project.
The beloved neighborhood park closed Wednesday and will remain closed for at least two years as it undergoes construction.
“The first American flag raising in our city happened right here. The first public school in California stood here. And for generations, this square has been the heartbeat of Chinatown. But more than that history, we all know this. This is the living room of Chinatown,” said Lurie during his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The park has been known throughout the years as a place for residents to play board games like mahjong, and gambling may or may not have taken place at card tables where men laugh and chain smoke cigarettes together. Many people just sit and people watch, and a play area is usually bustling with children.
Now the oldest public plaza in San Francisco will be upgraded to include a new community clubhouse, expanded play areas, flexible event space and overall expansion of the space in the park.
The new 8,300-square-foot community clubhouse will be outfitted with meeting rooms and a commercial catering kitchen. A larger playground and a new adult fitness area are other upgrades, ensuring that generations young and old can have somewhere to play.
Removal of the Kearny Street pedestrian bridge is also a part of the project. This bridge is a popular spot for skateboarders who would utilize the bridge for its curvy walls. Some members of the skate community were sad to see it go and hosted a larger event recently to skate it one last time as a community.
Historically, Portsmouth Square has been an important part of not only Chinatown but is an integral part of the city’s history. The first raising of the American flag in the city took place here in 1846 and in 1848 the discovery of gold was first announced, according to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
This was also the site of the first public school in California. The school opened in 1848 at the southwest corner of the square.
Major political demonstrations and movements also took place at Portsmouth Square. Activists gathered here to protest things like civil rights inequality in the 1980s or anti-Asian hate just a few years ago.
The new park will also include new public art works including an outdoor sculpture by Cathy Lu and a ceramic tile mural by Jenifer K. Wofford.
The timeline for the renovations has the park reopening in 2028.