St. Mary's Park History

St. Mary's Park is a beautiful little neighborhood nestled in the southwest corner of Bernal Heights just east of Glen Park Village in San Francisco. The neighborhood history is unique. St. Mary’s Park is one of the first planned San Francisco subdivisions and renowned landscape architect Mark Daniels designed the distinctive Bell shape and planned the abundant green islands scattered throughout the neighborhood.

In 1850, St. Mary's Park was rolling hills, pastures and tidal marshland. Joseph Alemany, first archbishop of San Francisco, acquired a tract of land bounded by Hayes, Grove, Larkin and Polk streets for the site of a new college in 1855. However, the increased congestion in the rapidly expanding city forced Alemany to the "country" south of San Francisco, four miles from City Hall down Mission Road (then the country road to San Jose), where he bought 60 acres of Rancho Rincon de la Salinas y Potrero Viejo from Jesus Bernal for $1,600.

On August 3, 1862, Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany rode out to the new property and laid the cornerstone of St. Mary's College. The College opened in the fall of 1863 with 210 students. In 1867, Alemany appealed directly to the Vatican to put pressure on the Brothers' Superiors to send nine Brothers from the District of New York to build up the high school and college staffing. The Brothers arrived in San Francisco the following year, under the able leadership of Brother Justin McMahon, a dynamic and politically astute Irishman. While the Brothers helped Alemany with his staffing, the school's leadership had been weak and its finances poorly managed from its establishment. The "remote" location proved too cold and foggy for the faculty and students, so they packed up and moved to a seven-acre plot at Broadway and Webster in Oakland.

The San Francisco property languished until Archbishop Riordon, Alemany's successor, established St. John's Parish, in which St. Mary's Park lies, using the old college buildings. He rented the land as a truck farm for fruits and vegetables. Archbishop Riordon had the land surveyed and opened for subdivision in 1924. That year, the Board of Supervisors adopted, and Mayor James Rolph approved, the planned residential development. The neighborhood was laid out in the shape of a bell, and three of the streets in the park were named for Brothers who taught at the College: Agnon Avenue, Genebern Way and Justin Drive. When the development's first plot of land was sold in 1924, it set off a building boom and generated construction codes for the architectural styles and plans of the houses. A typical home cost $7,000.

As the community grew, the city of San Francisco set aside 13 acres for a recreation area, 10 of which it bought for $87,500, while the Archdiocese donated the remainder. In the 1930s, Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers repaired the land, and construction of the three-tiered park began in 1947, when voters passed a recreation bond. Mayor Elmer Robinson dedicated the Park in 1951. There are many residents of the Park whose fathers helped build that facility.

On September 29, 1962, State Historical Marker #772 was placed on the St. Mary's Park Monument at College Avenue and Crescent Street.

The Rec. Center houses a basketball gymnasium with bleachers, a weight room, an auditorium, offices, classrooms and a kitchen. The grounds include two baseball diamonds, a large grassy field often used for soccer, a children's playground, recently renovated tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts and a dog park. Designed by Rec and Park's Marvin Yee, the dog park features a grassy lawn, benches and water fountains for owners and dogs alike. In next few years, the Park will benefit from the addition of a brand new children’s playground. The Rec. Center offers sports, classes and programs for tots, children, teens, adults and seniors.

St. Mary's Park Improvement Club (SMPIC) is an organization dedicated to improving the neighborhood, its parks, landscaping, and sense of community. Founded in 1941, the Club was initially a social vehicle for residents. Early meetings featured bingo, card games, square dances and raffles. While this social element is still vital, the Club also places emphasis on neighborhood stewardship, and acting as an advocacy group for issues that are of concern to residents.

The SMPIC pays for the mowing and upkeep of the lawn-covered islands that bisect many of our neighborhood's streets. The Club publishes The Park Bell newsletter on a monthly basis to help keep the neighborhood abreast of activities and issues of concern. It is delivered to each home in the neighborhood. The Club's funds come from annual dues (only $50 annually), advertisers in the Park Bell, donations, and the occasional fund-raiser.

The Club is led by an executive committee consisting of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, sergeant-at-arms, and Park Bell editor. As specified by the Club's by-laws, these officers are elected each Fall and serve a one-year term that begins with the January meeting.

sources:

"Welcome to St. Mary's Park," St. Mary's Improvement Club

"Centennial 1893-1993," St. John's Parish

St. Mary’s College – history of the college: http://www.delasalle.org/new/history-of-the-district.shtml

Neighborhood Parks Council