[The
Park's History] [Current Challenges]
[The Playground]
The Park's History
Franklin Square Park began in
1868, when 4.4 acres between 16th and 17th, Bryant and Hampshire
Streets, were purchased for $576,000. Ten years later the Board
of Supervisors approved a bill to "immediately borrow $100,000
in gold coin" and park commissioners allotted $12,000 "to
immediately grade, fence, plant and improve Franklin Park and
conduct water pipes therein." (Alta California, 1878).
The park suffered a temporary loss of identity in 1950 when
it was renamed Father Crowley Playground after the original
Father Crowley Playground at Seventh and Harrison Streets was
demolished to make room for the Bayshore Freeway. Subsequently
its original name was returned to Franklin Square and the Rev.
D.O. Crowley joined other memorable names in Recreation and
Park history. (San Francisco City-County Record, 1936).
As more families were drawn to
the neighborhood and into the park, increased complaints about
deteriorating conditions and a lack of recreational facilities
for small children were heard. At a public hearing in 1969,
the Park Commission was offered a renovation plan by the United
Neighborhood Association. Its fate remains unknown.
Franklin Square’s soccer
field got its start in an appropriation for construction in
a 1984 Commission meeting. In constant and vigorous use since
it was built, it was approved for extensive renovation and expansion
in 1995. Completed and officially celebrated in January of 2004,
the enlarged-to-regulation-size field has a new irrigation and
drainage system and state-of-the-art synthetic turf that looks
like grass, which outlasts all other varieties and is safer
to play on. Games at this “permit only” facility
are booked by clubs and schools from all over the area at $40
for 2 hours.
Current
Challenges
In a February 15th 2006 plan
from the city planning department, Franklin Square was identified
as one of four “open space” areas to service the
entire eastern neighborhoods for San Francisco:
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From the plan:
"The
Mission has an open space deficiency. This deficiency
particularly impacts families with children in the area.
Without new open space, this deficiency will grow. In
addition to the creation of new neighborhood parks, well-designed
open spaces such as pocket parks or "green street"
improvements might be appropriate."
(Source: Eastern Neighborhoods Community
Planning, Feb 15th 2006)
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Although city plans recognize the importance of Franklin Square,
and although its new soccer field is active and in great condition,
the rest of the park deteriorates quickly and is in acute
need for renovation. Resulting from years of disregard and
insufficient city budgets, the park has been taken over by
those who have nowhere else to go and don’t want to
be noticed. At present the park serves as home to a large
homeless community, prostitution and drug use.
The
Playground
Though the exact
year is unknown, back in the 1970s a small playground was
constructed in Franklin Square. Over the years, as the population
in the eastern neighborhoods has increased, more and more
families look to Franklin Square to address their playground
needs. Today, with over 30 years of deterioration, Franklin
Square playground is not suited for any child. Its corroding
metal-based structure, rotting wood pillars and polluted sand
surface are not only unaccommodating but truly dangerous to
children and adults alike. In a 2006
park report from the Neighborhood
Parks Council of San Francisco, Franklin Square playground
received the lowest safety grade in the city (F) and made
it to the top of the “Problem Parks” list.
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