Yerba Buena Gardens

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Looking northwest toward the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The waterfall drains into the pool on the right.

Yerba Buena Gardens is the name for two blocks of public parks located between Third and Fourth, Mission and Folsom Streets in downtown San Francisco. The first block bordered by Mission and Howard Streets was opened in 1993. The second block, between Howard and Folsom Streets was opened in 1998. The Yerba Buena Gardens are owned by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and were planned built as the centerpiece of the Yerba Buena Redevelopment Area.

Public Art The original block opened in 1993 contains several public art installations. The most spectacular is the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial which is located behind the waterfall, which is the largest fountain on the west coast. The memorial consists of excerpts of Dr. King's speeches stched in glass in the different languages of San Francisco's sister cities. Yerba Buena is the original name for San Francisco, which was the name later chosen by Spanish missionaries. On the terrace level above the waterfall is the sister cities gardens, where visitors can see an expertly manicured garden with plants representing each of San Francisco's sister cities, as well as the best view of the downtown skyline to be seen from downtown.

Other Attractions Located within two blocks of Yerba Buena Gardens are many hotels, museums, and retail centers. The St. Regis, W Hotel, Marriott, and Four Seasons are some of the largest Hotels in the area. The SFMOMA is located across the street, the temporary home of the California Academy of Sciences is less than a block away, the Cartoon Art Museum is nearby as well. Located in the Gardens proper is ZEUM, an award winning children's media and technology museum. The new location of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art (MOCFA) is less than one block towards market, as is the brand new Museum of the African Diaspora. Currently being built across Mission St. are the Mexican Heritage Museum and Contemporary Jewish Museum. Retail in the area include Sony Metreon, Boxed Foods, Samovar Tea Lounge and Mo's Grill. The old Emporium is one block away and is scheduled to re-open in Fall 2006 with new movie theatres and San Francisco's first Bloomingdales. There are a Bowling and an Ice Skating Rink located in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Looking northwest toward Mission Street from behind the waterfall memorial. A tower crane can be seen over where the future Contemporary Jewish Museum will rise.