Washington Square (San Francisco)

History

In the 19th century, the area was used by the Mexican rancher Juana Briones to grow potatoes and raise cattle, before it was designated a city square in 1847 when surveyor Jasper O'Farrell laid out San Francisco's street grid.

Originally, it was a complete rectangle, all the way to Powell Street. But in 1873–75, the City built Columbus Avenue, then known as Montgomery, cutting through the square. The avenue was built, evidently, because business and banking interests in the Financial District wanted greater interaction with North Beach, which was isolated, geographically, by the hills, the Barbary Coast, and Chinatown.

Washington Square was a place of refuge for many fleeing fires on Telegraph Hill, notably in 1894 and 1901. It was home for a year for some 600 people who lived in wooden barracks and Army tents after the 1906 earthquake and fire.

Ben Franklin statue

Main article: Statue of Benjamin Franklin (San Francisco)

The base of the statue is a temperance fountain donated in 1879 by temperance crusader Henry D. Cogswell.

Marini Plaza

Separated from the main park by Columbus Avenue, Marini Plaza is a tiny park at the corner of Union and Powell streets, named after civic benefactor Frank Marini (1862–1952).

Committee to Beautify

In the 1950s, a coalition of community groups, the Committee to Beautify Washington Square, spearheaded an effort to redesign the square, eliminating the paths that criss-crossed the park. Landscape architects Francis McCarthy and Douglas Baylis put Lombardy poplar trees in the center of a grassy expanse encircled by paths lined with benches, the configuration seen today. Although Lawrence Halprin is often credited with the design, his plans exceeded the available budget. In 1958, the City tried to solve the parking problem by putting a parking garage under the square, a plan that was defeated then but resurfaced periodically until the park was granted landmark status in 2000.

Popular culture

Washington Square has been featured in many movies. Director Don Siegel featured Sts. Peter and Paul Church and the nearby Dante Building, as settings of sniper attacks by the "Scorpio Killer", in the 1971 film Dirty Harry. The park and surrounding area are also featured in the 2000 film Bedazzled.

Many chapters in Richard Brautigan's 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America take place in Washington Square. It was also the setting for Lawrence Ferlinghetti's 1979 poem The Old Italians Dying.

Gallery

File:Washington Square cathedral San Francisco.jpg|Saints Peter and Paul Church in Washington Square File:2015-30 views of San Francisco.jpg|Aerial view of Washington Square File:Washington Square Park San Francisco September 2006.JPG|Washington Square Park (eastern side) File:2011-08-14 San Francisco 120 Washington Square.jpg|Washington Square (western side) File:Volunteer Firemen Memorial by Haig Patigian - Washington Square, San Francisco, CA - DSC04869.JPG|Volunteer Firemen Memorial by Haig Patigian San Francisco - Coit Tower from Washington Square (939873936).jpg|A sign in the park, with Coit Tower in the background

References

References

1. "History". Friends of Washington Square.
2. Nelson, Mary. "Historical Essay". FoundSF.
3. "FRANKLIN, Benjamin statue in Washington Square in San Francisco, California".
4. [http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1K091S8190R05.4815&menu=search&aspect=Keyword&npp=50&ipp=20&spp=20&profile=ariall&ri=2&source=~!siartinventories&index=.NW&term=CA000016+OR+CA000029&x=0&y=0&aspect=Keyword CA000016 OR CA000029 - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System]
5. Baylis, Maggie. (October 26, 1986). "Back to Square One". San Francisco Examiner.
6. "Film Locations in San Francisco {{!}} DataSF {{!}} City and County of San Francisco".
7. Andrea Abney. (2010-08-05). "Don't miss: 'Dirty Harry'".
8. Brautigan, Richard. (2010-01-19). "Trout Fishing in America". HMH.
9. Pettet, Simon. (2022-03-24). "Ferlinghetti's Birthday". The Allen Ginsberg Project.