Embarcadero Reimagined is a bold concept design for Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park from JRDV Urban International. This concept design demonstrates what is possible when unique San Francisco history, adaptive design, fiscal and environmental responsibility, economic revitalization, and creativity come together.

Docomomo US/Northern California has appealed the San Francisco Arts Commission’s approval of an emergency CEQA exemption for disassembling and removing the Vaillancourt Fountain from Embarcadero Plaza, arguing the Recreation and Park Department is misusing an “emergency” to evade required environmental review and public input.

San Francisco public art was not on Monday’s agenda. Instead, the Arts Commission heard a narrative shaped by Recreation & Park staff, and commissioners did not question the department’s good faith. During public comment, Docomomo US/NOCA and others presented evidence suggesting SFRPD intends to remove the fountain while sidestepping CEQA review that protects historic resources.

Using a manufactured sense of emergency, SF Recreation and Park has asked the SF Arts Commission for expedited approval to dismantle and remove the Vaillancourt Fountain, despite Planning’s finding that it is a protected historic resource and independent reports that contradict claims of imminent danger. Docomomo US/NOCA urges the public to oppose this attempt to bypass CEQA and rewrite the fountain’s history.

San Francisco Planning reviewed an independent Historic Resource Review of the Vaillancourt Fountain and agreed it is a historic resource eligible for both the National Register and the California Register. Because of this eligibility, any proposal affecting the fountain now requires review under the California Environmental Quality Act, ensuring public input and consideration of alternatives before significant changes occur.

Speakers addressed the fountain’s irreplaceable significance as a Brutalist icon, a site of free speech, skateboarding history, Indigenous rights activism, San Francisco’s progressive spirit, and as an essential component of the California Register-listed Market Street Cultural Landscape District. They directly challenged the City’s push for deaccession, arguing that the fountain’s deterioration is a result of deferred maintenance that should not set a dangerous precedent of demolishing public art. D

On Friday, September 19, 2025, Docomomo US/NOCA and a coalition of local, national, and international groups sent a letter to San Francisco Arts Commission, Recreation and Park Department, the Project Governance Team, and all associated city agencies and partners with a clear message: Embarcadero Plaza and the Vaillancourt Fountain must be retained and rehabilitated for present and future residents and visitors.

Bring San Francisco’s iconic Vaillancourt Fountain into your virtual meetings with these bold, modernist Zoom backgrounds. Perfect for architecture lovers, Bay Area locals, or anyone seeking a unique backdrop, this digital image transforms your Zoom calls and advocates for preservation of a piece of the city’s public art history. Learn more and download your free background now.

Internationally renowned artist Armand Vaillancourt has demanded that San Francisco halt any actions that could endanger his Embarcadero Plaza fountain, Québec libre!, asserting his rights as creator. Docomomo US/NOCA supports this legal move and continues to call for transparent planning, robust preservation alternatives, and long-term stewardship of this modernist public artwork and plaza.

As part of our ongoing advocacy efforts to retain and rehabilitate Embarcadero Plaza and the Vaillancourt Fountain, we requested important information from multiple San Francisco policy bodies to facilitate the full and transparent participation of interested parties in this civic process.

In an expected turn of events, the 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.

Discover key highlights from San Francisco Recreation and Park’s July 2025 meeting on the Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park Renovation. Learn about RPD's decision to demolish the Vaillancourt Fountain, cost estimates, and unaddressed alternatives. Access videos, transcripts, advocacy resources, and learn how to take action to preserve San Francisco’s Modern heritage.

On June 16, 2025, board members of Docomomo US/Northern California (NOCA) attended a key stakeholder meeting with staff of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) and a representative from BXP to discuss the Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park Renovation Project. The meeting discussed the project’s goals, timeline, and challenges, with a particular focus on the future of the Vaillancourt Fountain and Embarcadero Plaza.

On May 23, Embarcadero Plaza welcomed community members, art lovers, and modern architecture supporters for a Plaza Picnic organized by Docomomo US/NOCA. The Vaillancourt family traveled from Québec to honor the fountain’s legacy alongside Rana Halprin, activist Robert Free, city representatives, preservation groups, artists, skateboarders, and others sharing 50 years of memories.