Write a letter to SF Recreation and Parks and the San Francisco Arts Commission asking them to save Vaillancourt Fountain.

To: phil.ginsburg@sfgov.org,eoanna.goodwin@sfgov.org,charles.collins1@sfgov.org,manraj.dhaliwal@sfgov.org,art-info@sfgov.org,sauterstaff@sfgov.org

BCC: info@docomomo-noca.org

Subject: Preserve Embarcadero Plaza & Vaillancourt Fountain and rightsize the project

Body: (Add your own stories about why the fountain is important to you)

I urge you to preserve Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain.

Embarcadero Plaza, by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, is recognized by global experts for its historic significance. Vaillancourt Fountain, by renowned Québécois artist Armand Vaillancourt, is a key piece of San Francisco's urban history and is an internationally recognized Brutalist icon.

I support the stance of Docomomo US/NOCA on this matter and ask that San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, San Francisco Arts Commission, the Board of Supervisors, and the project team consider:

• Rightsizing the project to better spend $15-30+ million in public and private funds. This could include a more modest park refresh with a sustainable maintenance plan that would more effectively reflect the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors, and support downtown’s economic recovery, while retaining our history and culture.

• Adaptive reuse of the Vaillancourt Fountain in any form, such as a backdrop to the much-discussed central stage.

• Adaptive reuse of Embarcadero Plaza to address accessibility issues while retaining the existing Lawrence Halprin design that is in the spirit of flexible, multi-use, world-renowned Spanish plazas and Italian piazzas.

• The plaza’s preexisting world-class status, as demonstrated by the national and international support for retaining the plaza in its current form, such as from the Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal, the Québec government, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the international skateboarding community.

Thank you for recognizing the historical and cultural significance of Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain.