The Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco has long been plagued by crime and poverty. However, amidst the rough streets, there are hidden gems: green squares of city lots, known as parks, that provide a safe haven for residents. These parks, built during the crack epidemic of the mid-1980s, have been renovated over the past 15 years thanks to urban renewal dollars. They offer a world away from the Tenderloin's rough streets, with children playing on jungle gyms, teens shooting hoops, and seniors playing cards.
Walking the Tenderloin leads to some unexpected surprises. Dotting the neighborhood are green squares of city lots practically no bigger than postage stamps. In these spaces, children clamber the jungle gyms, teens shoot hoops, and seniors play cards.
The people are protected by tall fences and stern guards. These oases of safety are the parks that feel a world away from the rough streets of the Tenderloin. The biggest park is the one-acre Father Alfred E. Boeddeker Park at 246 Eddy St. between Jones and Leavenworth streets. One-half mile northwest is the quarter-acre Sergeant John Macaulay Park at Larkin and O’Farrell streets.
Local Tenderloin residents shoot hoops at the Father Alfred E. Boeddeker Park. Photo by Jay A. Martin. Both parks were built during the crack epidemic of the mid-1980s, and were renovated over the past 15 years thanks to millions of urban renewal dollars. A tinier park is the one-tenth-of-an-acre Turk-Hyde Mini Park.
It sprung up around 1968 when the San Francisco mini-park program began. Father Alfred E. Boeddeker Park spans half a city block. Shown is a four-photo panorama. Photo by Jay A. Martin.
Urban Alchemy is a nonprofit that provides social services and training to formerly incarcerated people who are living in cities mainly on the West Coast. The Oasis park is no bigger than Turk-Hyde. Folks at Turk-Hyde call Oasis the ‘dog park’ and has been around since 2022. In the middle of all these parks, at 570 Ellis St., is the one-half acre Tenderloin Recreation Center Children’s Playground Park.
In the middle of a complete makeover, from jungle gym to soccer field, the Children’s Playground is off-limits for now. A child and accompanying adult willingly pose for a photo, under the watchful eye of Tenderloin Community Benefit District staff in the Turk-Hyde Mini Park. Children play under the protection of TLBCD staff and fences at the Sergeant John Macaulay Park. This is a secondary containment area inside the park and behind a tall iron gate.
Boeddeker, Macauley and Turk-Hyde parks are connected to each other by the Tenderloin Park Network. Each park has two or more staff members sporting blue, green, and gray vests with the TLCBD logo — the Tenderloin Community Benefit District. The TLCBD is a nonprofit whose core purpose is to lead the Tenderloin residents ‘into a vibrant community’ through neighborhood management programs. Its staff support the group’s framework of ‘safe, clean, welcoming places for the community to connect.
’ ‘Kids only, and only with adults, are allowed in the park,’ cautioned TLCBD staff member Diego at Macauley. Certain people can go in the park, but they don’t have free range to do what they want.
‘No pictures, no pictures,’ said Nolan Jones, Coordinator of Parks and Stewardship, TLCBD, at Turk and Hyde Park. That was repeated by TLCBD staff at Boeddeker. People can play in the park, they can rest peacefully; other lines are drawn by park staff. Mario of Robertson Recreation Surfaces prepares the new soccer field, nearing completion of the renovation at the Tenderloin Recreation Center Children’s Park.
Photo by Jay A. Martin. Set free in peace, even in small spaces, kids and adults can be themselves at the Tenderloin parks. Kids hang upside-down on the jungle gyms at Turk-Hyde and Macaulay. Hoops and soccer are the thing at Children’s Playground Park and Boeddeker.
Around the corner from the Boeddeker b-ball court, a young couple has a quiet conversation under a grove of trees while seniors play cards a few feet down the hill by the Boeddeker Park Clubhouse.
‘Be Respectful’ looms over the dogs and their owners at Urban Alchemy Oasis park. Adults can play board games on the other side of the park. Photo by Jay A. Martin. Please keep your comments short and civil.
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Tenderloin Neighborhood San Francisco Parks Urban Renewal Community Benefit District Tenderloin Recreation Center Children's Playgr Urban Alchemy Oasis Park Tenderloin Park Network Tenderloin Community Benefit District Staff Tenderloin Recreation Center Children's Playgr Urban Alchemy Oasis Park
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