A new multimillion-dollar recreation center opened in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood to large fanfare on Thursday, with many residents saying it will help build community in the area.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, Supervisor Matt Dorsey and officials from the Recreation and Parks Department were joined by several SoMa community organizations to officially open the neighborhood’s new recreation center to the public after years of planning and construction.
Lurie said the new center reflects the city’s goal to provide ample park and recreational spaces for its residents. He said SoMa has grown substantially but has been marred by perception that it is unsafe or unwelcoming to people, a designation he refutes.
“This new center will be a hub for families, and it is part of our broader commitment to giving this neighborhood the clean and safe streets and vibrant public safe spaces it deserves,” Lurie said to hoots and hollers that echoed across the shiny new basketball courts.
SoMa resident and longtime activist Rudy Corpuz spoke with passion about his love for his community and the need to have safe spaces for people to gather. He said organizations like United Playaz, of which he is the executive director, work with kids in the area to provide them with spaces that keep them away from violence and instill positive practices for their future success.
“I want to say thank you for having the people of this neighborhood be a part of making sure this model of this building is the way we wanted it to be,” said Corpuz. “What I’m trying to say is, this is about culture. A wise person told me this morning you can have this project, a $62 million building that looks really nice and everything is new, but if you don’t have the people in here with the good spirit and the right heart. This building don’t mean nothing.”
The new center features two indoor basketball courts with floor-to-ceiling windows letting in plenty of sunlight, new community rooms for gatherings, and a revamped playground.
Originally named the SoMa Rec Center when it was built in 1990, the facility was renamed to the Gene Friend Recreation Center in 2002 in honor of former San Francisco Recreation and Parks commission president Eugene L. Friend.
A decade in the making
Planning started in 2014, with the recreation and parks department working closely with local residents to create a space that reflected their input. Ground broke in 2024 and finished two years later with a price tag totaling $62 million, funded by a combination of public and private dollars.
San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks General Manager Sarah Madland said the center needed a makeover because of the increase in people calling SoMa home. She said space will feature activities for children, older adults, and people with disabilities, all in a brand-new facility featuring artwork from local artists.
“Believe me, we have heard from all of you, and that is why we have been working in partnership for over a decade since 2014,” said Madland as she went down a long list of people she wanted to thank for their work on the center. “This has been in the works to envision this new rec center that reflects what the community needs and wants.”
Molly Bloom, a program manager with BORP Adaptive Sports and Recreation, said the new center will help make sports more accessible for people who need to use wheelchairs or other accommodations. She said the partnership with the recreation and parks department surpassed her expectations, making her feel like the agency took concerns for accessibility seriously and incorporated elements of it from the beginning.
“People with disabilities face a ton of barriers getting access to sports, and it can be life-changing to have that access,” said Bloom. “It was only through my wheelchair basketball team that I actually learned how to live a life full of hope.”
Seventeen-year-old Cyriah Gascon, a SoMa resident, said the recreation center played an important part in her upbringing. She said that during the coronavirus pandemic, the former center was a place of where people could find community and even with health safety precautions there were activities that help fight isolationism.
“I’ve been here for as long as I can remember. My dad and his family grew up here, my cousins, my uncles, my aunties, my siblings, and so this rec center has practically seen my entire family tree,” said Gascon. “I remember rushing through my homework to be able to play basketball with friends and staff. Now looking back on it, it’s just so astounding how this rec center had turned such an adverse time period into one I can look back with such fond memories on.”