Ferry Building- Bayview Gateway- Mid Embarcadero - South Beach Improvements Among Projects Recognized
Published: December, 2003
The Port of San Francisco is the recipient of several prestigious awards that recognize the public benefits and beautification of Port revitalization projects.
"These awards reflect the Port’s commitment to preservation and restoration of its unique historic resources and to the enhancement of the waterfront through community partnerships," said Byron Rhett, Director of Planning & Development for the Port of San Francisco.
San Francisco Beautiful Awards
San Francisco Beautiful, a 55-year old non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the City’s physical well being, awarded the Port of San Francisco, in partnership with citizen organizations and Port tenants, two awards in the category of "Civic Engagement: Meeting the Challenge." These awards recognize individuals, organizations, businesses and agencies that work to improve the quality of life in San Francisco, with an emphasis on citizens partnering with city departments to enhance San Francisco’s livability.
The two following awards, which were received by the Port at SF Beautiful’s annual dinner on October 30, 2003, recognize the Port’s role in these community partnerships, as well as the physical improvements the projects have brought to the San Francisco waterfront:
Bayview Gateway Beautification Projects
This award recognizes three different City and community efforts which together have cleaned up and beautified Third Street at Cargo Way, regarded as the gateway to the Bayview Hunters Point community:
1) the removal of two billboards at Islais Creek;
2) the improvements and expansion of the Islais Creek Pump Station by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and;
3) the Bayview Gateway landscaping by Hanson Aggregates and the Port.
Hanson Aggregates imports bulk cargo through the Pier 94 terminal and has been active in sponsoring community efforts to promote safety and improvements in the area. In partnership with the Port and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell’s office, Hanson hired a landscape architect and provided funding to plant trees, grass and flowers at this gateway location. Coupled with the PUC’s pump station and community efforts to remove the billboards, the entire area has been revitalized.
Robert C. Friese Award for Neighborhood Conservation
Mid-Embarcadero/South Beach Improvements
The Port, the City and County of San Francisco, Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and the Redevelopment Agency, in partnership with community groups, Ferry Building Investors, The Gap, and ROMA Design, all have been recognized for the collective efforts that have revitalized The Embarcadero from Market Street to China Basin:
1) the Ferry Building historic restoration;
2) the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market;
3) Rincon Park and;
4) the South Beach Children’s Play Area.
Each of these projects has supplemented the pedestrian and transportation enhancements of The Embarcadero by creating public vistas and recreational, maritime and unique commercial activities for people to enjoy the waterfront.
National Trust for Historic Preservation Award
On October 2, 2003, the Port and Ferry Building Investors received another highly prestigious award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Trust is a private, non-profit organization chartered by Congress in 1949, dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable historic buildings and resources.
The Ferry Building was one of fifteen National Preservation Honor Awards to receive such recognition. The award specifically recognizes the work of Ferry Building Investors, Page and Turnbull historic architects, SMWM Architects, BCV Architects, as well as the Port.
California Heritage Council
As a counterpart to the national recognition it has received, the Ferry Building historic restoration also received an award from the California Heritage Council this past June. The California Heritage Council is a statewide non-profit educational organization whose purpose is to ensure the saving of places and buildings that have given quality and distinction to the cultural life of California.
