Buena Vista Park

Layout

The hill on which the park lies is composed primarily of sand and San Francisco chert, formed in the Mesozoic era. The layout of the park uses the steepness of the hill to good advantage, offering good views of the city (particularly to the north).

At the peak of the park is a small lawn. Notable views are available from various lookouts lower down, including "The Window," an overlook on the western side of the hill from which there is a sweeping vista of Golden Gate Park, the Pacific Ocean, and, on clear days, northward up the coast to the white cliffs of Drake's Bay.

The paths along the west side are lined with gutters built by WPA workers out of broken headstones from the city's Victorian cemeteries at Lone Mountain Cemetery, which were moved to Colma in the 1930s. In a few cases the inscriptions were placed facing up and can be discerned (Cf. the Wave Organ).

The northeast corner staircase features a large peace symbol (the classic Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament variety) shaped out of flower plantings. Further south a tennis court is located just inside the park at the intersection of Duboce and Buena Vista East streets.

Other points of interest

Across the street from the south side of the park is 355 Buena Vista East, an architecturally notable building which appears briefly in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. The building, constructed in 1928 as St. Joseph's Hospital, has been converted to condominiums. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

611 Buena Vista West, on the west side of the park near Frederick Street, was a particularly noteworthy example of the modern-architecture work of Cass Calder Smith, as featured in many architectural magazines including Dwell (Jan/Feb 2005). This modern house was significantly modified with an addition of another level in 2015.

The N Judah runs underneath the park via the Sunset Tunnel.

References

References

1. [http://www.sfhistoryencyclopedia.com/articles/c/cemeteries.html Details of the dismantlement of the Lone Mountain cemeteries] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-07-22 in the Encyclopedia of San Francisco.)
2. (January–February 2005). "Standout in a Crowd".
3. (15 September 2004). "San Francisco Modern / Local architects show off the cream of the city's contemporary look on weekend tour". San Francisco Chronicle.
4. (9 April 2013). "Drama-rama Over a One-Story Addition Near Buena Vista Park". Curbed San Francisco.