Francisco Park is replacing a long-standing Russian Mountain Reservoir and is scheduled to open in 2022.

Francisco Park is replacing a long-standing Russian Mountain Reservoir and is scheduled to open in 2022.

Francisco Park is replacing a long-standing Russian Mountain Reservoir and is scheduled to open in 2022.

The original bricks of the old reservoir are part of Francisco Park in San Francisco, scheduled to open in 2022.

Francisco Park is replacing a long-standing Russian Mountain Reservoir and is scheduled to open in 2022.

Francisco Park is replacing a long-standing Russian Mountain Reservoir and is scheduled to open in 2022.

Francisco Park is replacing a long-standing Russian Mountain Reservoir and is scheduled to open in 2022.

The observation deck in the new park has a panoramic view across the bay.

The renovated Rossi Pool has a 48-foot mural by Owen Smith.

Portsmouth Square, an urban park in Chinatown, is about to undergo a $60 million renovation project. Part of the plan is to demolish the pedestrian bridge across Carney Street.

A rendering of the refurbished Indian Basin Coastline Park, which will open in 2025.

The Francisco Reservoir in the Russian mountains has been unused and unattended for 80 years, but the residents in the neighborhood are facing the threat of development and have taken some measures. When they finally took action, they spent $27.5 million to build Francisco Park, a rectangular oasis expected to open in early 2022.

Covering an area of ​​4.5 acres, it will be the largest new public park opened in the core area of ​​the city in 40 years, and it should be an instant tourist destination because the Hyde Street cable car line is right next to it.

Passengers will want to jump off the downhill car and stand on a viewing platform in the park. The platform features a panoramic view of the plaza and history across the pier to the dome of the Palace of Fine Arts, past the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli Clock Tower The masts of the long sailing fleet, all the way to Alcatraz Island.

Leslie Alspach, president of the Francisco Park Conservation Association, explained: “You can build houses here and let hundreds of people enjoy the beautiful scenery.” “Build a park here and millions of people can enjoy it. Decades of beauty."

The Francisco Reservoir on the Russian hills has been in use for 80 years and has been unattended, but the residents of the neighborhood have only taken some measures when they face the threat of development.

But considering that many donors on the Russian hills can see the same view of the bay from their own windows, it takes more than just a point of view to raise this kind of funding. In order to attract all constituencies, the Francisco Park Conservation Association held a meeting to investigate. As a result, the new park offers three attractions that no place on the Russian mountain or the northern waterfront can provide at this scale: children’s playgrounds, fenced dogs running on artificial turf where some pets seem to prefer grass, and community gardens.

"Without philanthropy, many of the beautiful parks and facilities we enjoyed in San Francisco would never exist," said Phil Ginsburg, general manager of leisure and parks.

Although it was a private investment, the new park was built by the San Francisco Park Conservation Association and the San Francisco Park Administration, who paid $9.9 million for the property. Rec and Park did not have an additional US$25 million for expansion because the department is in the midst of a US$230 million construction boom, which includes projects across the city.

Among them: the complete reconstruction of Angelo J. Rossi Pool, a 30-meter six-lane indoor facility located on the edge of Richmond District, will also open in early 2022. This two-year project, with a budget of $15.2 million, will debut a 48-foot-tall bay underwater creature mural created by artist Owen Smith.

The renovation of Portsmouth Square is also in progress. This is a $66 million project. The main attraction may not be that it increases the view of Chinatown, but reduces it-a building on Carney Street Despised and underutilized footbridge. The expected completion date is 2025, the same year as the Indian Basin Park, which is located on the southeast coast and covers an area of ​​64 acres. With a budget of 140 million U.S. dollars, this will be the most expensive project in the history of Rec and Park.

A combination of park bonds approved by voters and federal and state grants will pay for these improvements. However, although the renovation of the Francisco Reservoir is on the list of long-term capital projects, it will take nearly 100 years to rise to the top after its closure. Rec and Park is prioritizing interest areas such as Bayview, Tenderloin and Mission. In any case, Russian Hill cannot be described as a fair zone. In order to speed up the construction of the reservoir city park, the people who want it must also be the people who pay.

"Francesco Park is a very important example. For neighbors, it is a labor of love," Ginsberg said. "They have a vision for what they want, and they work tirelessly to achieve it."

This vision allows the main reference to the park’s former life as a huge underground water storage tank.

The brick bottom and east side wall of the reservoir, as well as the protruding water inlet pipe, have been incorporated into the design to remind visitors that the place where they sunbathe on the central lawn was once less than 12 feet deep.

The brick bottom and east side wall of the reservoir, as well as the protruding water inlet pipe, have been incorporated into the design to remind visitors that the place where they sunbathe on the central lawn was once less than 12 feet deep.

There will also be explanatory signs to tell the story of the site, which was built in 1859 and was the city's first large reservoir. It was used until 1940, when the Lombard Reservoir was built in a better position on the hilltops of Hyde Street and Greenwich Street.

The reservoir is covered by George Sterling Park and Alice Marble Tennis Court. Did not find any use for the excess Francisco Reservoir. It has a tar and gravel roof and is unattractive, although raccoons like it as a shortcut from Hyde's trash can to Larkin's trash can. The coyote also took advantage of the nest option among the thorn bushes.

"It has a barb, which is an eye-catcher," Alspach said.

If the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission had not started discussing the construction of housing at the site, including affordable housing, 10 years ago, it may remain in this state. The plan would have a park element, but it was not enough to please neighbors. They rely on Rec and Park, which bought the property from the committee in 2014 through an open space acquisition fund.

The Francisco Park Conservation Association is a non-profit organization that, after setting a goal of $25 million, managed to raise an additional $2.5 million to provide a buffer for park maintenance. Alspach said that most of these gifts came from individuals, and one of them was large enough to obtain the naming rights for the Maria Manetti Shrem community garden. This is an area with a high usage rate. It received the most direct sunlight anywhere on the land, and 600 residents applied for 33 independent plots. Allocating them requires a lottery.

In 2018, the Recreation and Parks Commission approved the plan, and construction began in the summer of 2019, under the supervision of project manager Kelli Rudnick.

The Francisco Reservoir is on the list of long-term capital projects, but it will take nearly 100 years to rise to the top after it is closed.

The 71-year-old Alspach proudly points out that the entire hillside is suitable for people with disabilities. A 10-foot-wide elevated boardwalk starts at the entrance of Bay Street and winds through the park. At the best viewing point, the boardwalk expands with the "belvederes" described by Alspach in his English accent. These are for people who want to stop and admire the view without obstructing traffic on the boardwalk.

"This will be a busy place during Fleet Week," Alspach said. But some benches and the vantage point of the central lawn were blocked by a mature Monterey cypress. That tree only has about 200 years left, and Alspach looks at it in the long run.

"It will drop by itself," he said.

Sam Whiting is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @samwhitingsf

Since 1988, Sam Whiting has been a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. He was originally a feature writer for the "People" section of Herb Caen's column anchor, and has been writing articles about people ever since. He is a general-purpose reporter, focusing on writing long-form obituaries. He lives in San Francisco and walks three miles on the steep city streets every day.