The aging, brutalist slab of concrete that spans Kearny Street, connecting the Hilton Hotel to Portsmouth Square, stands directly in the way of the city’s plans to transform Chinatown’s “living room.”
The pedestrian bridge over Kearny Street at Portsmouth Square in Chinatown in May 2020. The bridge, which was constructed in the 1970s and connects the park to the Hilton Hotel, is poised for demolition as The City plans to revamp the park.
“Many of our senior members live in Chinatown and use Portsmouth Square on a daily basis. It is literally our living room,” testified Wing Hoo Leung, president of the Community Tenants Association, through an interpreter during a hearing on the removal last week. “However, we seldom get a chance to enjoy the private pedestrian bridge because the bridge is always locked.”
The hotel’s representatives argued the demand is infeasible given the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry. They said that the only reason the bridge was erected in the first place was because the city demanded it as a condition of the hotel’s construction. Neighborhood organizations and residents backing the demolition see a better and – quite literally – brighter future for Portsmouth Square Park without the bridge, which casts a shadow and uses up valuable real estate in the park.said they do not ever use the pedestrian bridge.
Those in favor of demolition also alleged that it was intended as a public space, but operated as a private one and was often closed.