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A security fence surrounds\u00a0Vaillancourt Fountain at\u00a0Embarcadero Plaza last July. San Francisco is set to begin dismantling and removing the aging sculpture next week, with plans to place it in storage as preservationists pursue an appeal.<\/p>\n
Sam Whiting\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Work to disassemble and remove Vaillancourt Fountain from Embarcadero Plaza is scheduled to start Monday, following months of controversy and a legal challenge, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department told the Chronicle on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The first phase \u2014 removing grout from the massive concrete sculpture and cataloging the pieces for future\u00a0reassembly \u2014 will take at least a week, officials said. Starting in May, cranes will begin removing the artwork\u2019s 10-ton cantilevered arms and hauling them away on a flatbed truck.<\/p>\n
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The fountain, which has been a fixture along the Embarcadero since 1972, will be placed in storage for up to three years while its owner, the San Francisco Arts Commission, decides its permanent fate.<\/p>\n
Rec and Park sought the removal of the aging fountain in advance of its planned $32.5 million renovation of Embarcadero Plaza<\/a>. The Board of Supervisors in January approved the move<\/a> under an emergency exemption from the environmental review process after the city planning department declared the deteriorating structure a public safety hazard.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the preservationist group Friends of the Plaza sued to keep the fountain in place<\/a>, arguing that the city had inappropriately bypassed the California Environmental Quality Act. Its motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the removal was denied by a San Francisco Superior Court judge<\/a> on April 9.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Susan Brandt-Hawley, an attorney representing Friends of the Plaza<\/a>, told the Chronicle Wednesday that she was filing an appeal and seeking an immediate stay of physical alteration on the site, to prevent any work beyond putting up security fencing and documenting the site.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no emergency here and there is no public harm,\u201d said Brandt-Hawley, who hopes to convince the appeals court that the project must be subject to the full environmental review process.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n If the sculpture is removed, the group seeks its restoration and return to Embarcadero Plaza. The initial hearing on the merits of the group\u2019s lawsuit is scheduled for August.<\/p>\n The temporary fountain removal will be carried out by Silverado Contractors under supervision of San Francisco Public Works, Rec and Park, and the Arts Commission. A technical consultant from Architectural Resources Group will also be onsite, as will a crew from BXP, the real estate company that owns Embarcadero Center and is working with the city on the redesign of the area near the foot of Market Street across from the Ferry Building.<\/p>\n The removal project, expected to take months, is budgeted at $4 million to be paid by Rec and Park, which maintains the fountain for the Arts Commission.\u00a0 The location of the off-site storage facility has not been disclosed.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the documented public safety issues as well as the scale and complexity of the fountain, this work demands a thoughtful, step-by-step approach,\u201d said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department Interim General Manager Sarah Madland. \u201cEvery stage is designed to balance safety with careful preservation and documentation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The fountain has been inoperable since May 2024, and the entire site was fenced off last summer<\/a> after an independent assessment determined it was a safety hazard. Findings included that the 710-ton structure was corroding and deteriorating, contained toxic materials including asbestos and lead, and failed to meet seismic safety codes.<\/p>\n Additional fencing is being put up this week to ensure that the rest of Embarcadero Plaza and the adjacent Sue Bierman Park can remain open during the disassembly process.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Arts Commission has worked closely with project partners and conservation experts to develop a plan that prioritizes careful documentation, preservation, and respect for the artwork,\u201d said Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs. \u201cOur goal is to ensure that every step is carried out with intention and with a clear sense of our responsibility as stewards of the city\u2019s civic art collection.\u201d<\/p>\n Vaillancourt Fountain, with its blocky, Brutalist design, has been a lightning rod for public opinion since its debut more than a half-century ago. It\u00a0originally buffered the sight and sound of traffic on the elevated Embarcadero Freeway that whizzed by between it and the Ferry Building. The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 led to the demolition of the freeway.<\/p>\n The brick plaza surrounding the fountain has become a popular recreation area with padel courts and stone steps plied by\u00a0skateboarders. In November 2024, then-mayor London Breed announced a public-private partnership to redesign and rebuild the 5-acre plaza<\/a> to combine it with adjacent Sue Bierman Park.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Preliminary renderings excluded Vaillancourt Fountain in the design of the future park. Officials said at subsequent community meetings\u00a0that the fountain was too expensive to repair and include in the plan.<\/a> Rec and Park then began planning to remove it, at least temporarily, while a final decision on its fate is determined.\u00a0<\/p>\n