SF Recreation and Parks formally requests approval to demolish Vaillancourt Fountain
In an expected turn of events, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD) has formally requested the San Francisco Arts Commission’s (SFAC) consideration and approval to proceed with the formal deaccession of the Vaillancourt Fountain from the Civic Art Collection and its removal from Embarcadero Plaza. In other words, this is a request for permission to demolish the Vaillancourt Fountain.
The request, made available to the press but not members of the public, can be viewed and downloaded here.
Take action now to oppose the Vaillancourt Fountain’s demolition.
Docomomo US/NOCA strongly opposes deaccession and removal of Vaillancourt Fountain. Docomomo US/NOCA considers Embarcadero Plaza and Vaillancourt Fountain to be highly significant based on the following criteria:
Contributing Property to a Significant Modern-era Landscape Design
Vaillancourt Fountain: Icon of Brutalism
Skate & Speech: Historic Significance & Cultural Legacy
In contrast, SFRPD believes Vaillancourt Fountain is not a symbolic art installation but “a critical design challenge in the Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park project”. They see it as “incompatible with the open lawn and gathering spaces envisioned in the new design”.
From the letter: SFRPD considers the Vaillaincourt Fountain a “design constraint”, rather than artwork
Our board members attended the August 20, 2025 Visual Arts Commission hearing at City Hall to voice our concerns about SFRPD’s actions and the overall lack of transparency in this process. Our brief statement to the Arts Commission can be read online.
SFRPD's public communications and letter to SFAC contain significant omissions and misrepresentations.
SFRPD has declined to publish the Vaillancourt Fountain Conditions Assessment since receiving it in June 2025, which disagrees with their assertions.
Per the assessment (emphasis added):
Overall, Vaillancourt Fountain exhibits a range of deterioration that must be addressed for it to continue to be enjoyed safely. That said, the fountain does not appear to have yet deteriorated beyond repair, though certain systems and components have, and there may be a variety of approaches to treatment to be explored in future phases that could stabilize and restore it.
SFRPD’s descriptions of the fountain’s state, such as “alarming” and “no longer viable as a functional or safe public asset”, are editorial commentary not present in the independent report and are intended to artificially create a sense of public threat.
SFRPD has declined to publish the Vaillancourt Fountain Historic Resource Review (HRR) since receiving it in May 2025, which notes the Vaillancourt Fountain appears to be an individual historical resource for the purposes of CEQA.
Per the Historic Resource Review (emphasis added):
This HRR finds that Vaillancourt Fountain is eligible as an individual object for listing in the National Register and California Register under Criterion A/1 for association with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency public art program and Criterion C/3 as a distinctive example of a monumental, participatory Modernist fountain, with a period of significance of 1971. As such, Vaillancourt Fountain appears to be an individual historical resource for the purposes of CEQA.
SFRPD has omitted this critical information, as well as any CEQA requirements, from communication with the public and SFAC, despite this being a mandatory step for any historic resource.
SFRPD has declined to publish the details of the current or historical cost estimates. RPD has regularly quoted restoration costs that are conceptual and were prepared without drawings or designs, and include contingencies, escalation, and administrative overhead.
The most recent cost estimate of $29 million is inflated by $14 million. The inflated $29 million estimate is regularly repeated, including in SFRPD’s letter to SFAC (“At a cost of more than $29 million...”).
Per the July 2025 cost estimate prepared by Mercurial Consulting, the direct cost is $15 million.
Per the 2025 cost estimate prepared by SFRPD, the direct cost ranges from $14.7 million to $17.6 million.
Per the 2024 cost estimate prepared by SFRPD, the direct cost is $8.5 million.
SFRPD has not published the details of these unverified cost estimates for public scrutiny or validation, but is using them as evidence to argue for the fountain’s demolition.
SFRPD has misrepresented the size of Vaillancourt Fountain in context of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park at the second community meeting.
During SFRPD’s second community meeting on July 8, 2025, SFRPD misrepresented the size of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park. In response to a community member’s question, “How much square footage would you gain by taking the fountain out?”, SFRPD responded:
“The fountain itself is about 8 to 10,000 square feet around it, um, and the plaza itself is about 40,000 square feet.” (video recording, transcript)
This statement misrepresents the project. Rather than 25% of the space—as implied by SFRPD—the Vaillancourt Fountain represents only ~2.6% of the total area of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park.
Embarcadero Plaza is approximately 3.6 acres, or ~157,000 square feet.
Sue Bierman Park is approximately 5.3 acres, or ~230,000 square feet.
Vaillancourt Fountain is approximately 10,000 square feet.
SFRPD has neither acknowledged the full size of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park, nor have they corrected this misrepresentation to the public.
Call to Action
The Vaillancourt Fountain in March 2025